[svxhunter]

Talk to Dayle at Motorsport Warehouse (through this board). He's not in NM, he's in AZ- Tuscon I believe. But that could be a doable distance.

He's always got several for sale. I'll bet he's got connections to find a nice non-running one. They are also frequently on E-bay.

You should be able to find a non running one in pretty good shape for $1500- $2000. Look for one with no rust (not hard in the southeast), good paint and good glass.

It will probably have a bad tranny. Perhaps also wheel bearings. Interior may show wear. A tranny swap for a competent mechanic is not a big deal- a couple of hundred dollars. Even a motor swap is not that hard. Since your interior is good, you could resolve any interior issues without to much difficulty (if this is beyond your skill level, there are many people who can handle this level of mechanics).

Keep the one you've got for parts until you've driven the new one for several months, to make sure you've got all the gremlins. Then sell a few significant parts (perhaps a motor, a nice interior, or a front clip). Without selling off every last detail piece of the car, you should be able to recoup perhaps a thousand. If you're patient and want to go for every last piece of the car, you may get as much as $2500 in parts.

Then say goodbye to your baby and have it towed away. It will feel good to no longer get that sick feeling in the pit of your stomache when you see it in the driveway, and also to know that the soul of your babe still rides under you in the new car you are driving.

If you buy a car for $2500, pay someone $500 in labor, and sell $1000 in parts you can ride again for $2000 in a nice SVX. I'm sure you don't want to part with 2K, but it beats $3000- $4000.

Good luck!