I looked at several Brats in the spring of 2000. I found that the sellers had an inflated opinion on what they were worth, and since I live in Wisconsin (salt, snow, and more salt), most of the ones (9 out of 10) I saw were in some phase of corrosive decay. I concluded that it was not a wise move unless I had lots of time and cash to throw at it.
On the other hand, I did see an '86 at an Indiana dealership that was truly imaculate and had done only 34,000 miles
. It was being offered for $4,500.