WTB: 1999 GT Hatchback SOCAL!, How desparate am I? or should I be? For my dream ride? Options

[Gizmokat]

((oops did i post this in the wrong section...ish? hahahahaha...))

How rare is it to find a 1999 GT hatchback with low mileage in socal??

I don't know why, but I just love the body style of the gen 6. I've been in love with the car ever since I saw one in my college parking lot.

Now I'm extremely picky, and I would love to have a 1999 GT with less than or around 100k.
-No Mods prefered.
-Clean interior but worn seats is ok since I plan on reupholstering/seatcovering it depending on the condition.
-The engine has to be pristine with no problems.
-Exterior no dings, but if the paint is bad I don't mind since I have a specific paint job in mind anyway.
-Absolutely NO rust... rust is evil. (super hesitant to get anything from the NE where I live)
-Automatic tranny since driving in LA is a bitch. I don't need to learn manual and then just sit in traffic and have to shift every 10 seconds and then stall because I forgot to do something...

So the question is... since I'm so anal (haha)... should I really go out of my way to get the car I want?
All the cars in "accessible" locations for me to check out are 1.5hrs away from my normal destinations.

1. NJ. $7,995 @ 76,000 miles (+around $1100 to ship it from coast to coast). 1.5hrs away from Home.
2. Charlotte, NC. $7,995 @ 59,000 miles (+around $1100 to ship it from coast to coast). 1.5hrs away from Work.
3. Oceanside, CA. (has been sitting around on the internet and dealer has multiple listings up on different sites) Price listed has varied from $9500 on Craigslist to $8900 on autotrader (same phone # so same dealer). 113k - Can you see why I don't want to buy locally... 1.5hrs away from New Home

Now considering I've never test driven the car I supposedly love, hahahaha... is it worth it?
I do have another 2 weeks before I move... so should I wait to buy the car locally and possibly settle for something less than optimal... or go out of my way and buy what I know I really want and spend the extra money that I don't really have... haha.

hhheeelllp!

am I being silly... should I just wait? Thing is it takes 2-3+ weeks to ship a car cross country based on the quote....

This post has been edited by Gizmokat: Feb 10, 2007 - 10:46 AM

[Fate]

katie-
if you wait until you get to socal i'm almost positive you'll find the car you're looking for with the miles you want and the price you want to pay. auto trader and autoshopper aren't the only places for cars-don't forget about the lots around your "new" town.

[LewFX]

mines a 99 and im in so cal...i got under 100k...but its not stock by far!

[j0e_p3t]

dude, you can't sell your car. at least give me your projectors, sways, and strut bar first. then it'll be closer to stock haha. anywho.... kat, you're gonna love the way the 6gc handles so i wouldn't worry about test driving it. as far as finding the perfect car... soon you'll find out that our cars are getting rarer and rarer. its difficult enough finding a good one for a decent price. getting the perfect one is gonna cost more money unless you're extremely lucky. so i guess it just depends on you and how far you're willing to go to get the car you want.

[forkee]

im tellin ya, ill teach you to shift beautifully

[RbrtNdrws]

One for sale in Charlotte? Nice, I couldn't even find one around here. I bought mine in Maryland. If you need someone to watch your Celica for you before you get it shipped, I'm 30 minutes north of Charlotte in Statesville (When I'm not at college) .

This post has been edited by RbrtNdrws: Feb 10, 2007 - 2:14 PM