I'll start with mine form this weekend.
Was browsing CL for Z32 300ZX's, looking for something I could drive daily and fix up slowly, when I happen to see a slicktop relatively close to me, oh snap! I'v had a T-Top Z32 before, loved it, had to sell when I had my kid, always wanted a slicktop ever since then. Only 3 pictures in the ad, but looks decent on 2 sides I can see. Very short description, "runs good, shifts good, manual." Okay time to call this dude and get more info. Call him up, chat about the car, again says it runs good, says it's his GF's car so he doesn't know much about it. Body's in good shape, no rust blah blah. I decide to make the 2 hour trip, and if it's good enough to make the 2 hour drive home and I can get it for less than asking price, I'll have it.
I leave early Saturday morning, get halfway there, guy calls, "car won't start"... great. He was washing off the leaves and crap from around the engine bay and now the car won't even attempt to crank. Ughh... Okay well I'm halfway there, might as well see what's up, guy doesn't sound too mechanical, so I can probably fix it (with my prior Z32 experience I know some weak points I can check)
Get there, guy still hasn't been able to get it started. I go to check to see if the clutch switch is getting engaged, open the door and am hit square in the face with that sickly sweet moldy carpet smell. This is exactly why I wanted a slicktop, no leaky T-Tops, WTH? I digress. I check the clutch switch, it's engaging, but I also notice it has one of those old really janky "chip type" security systems. I check the chip, it's in upside down. Unplug it, turn it over, car starts right up (that'll be 1 hour labor @ $60 please.)
Car sounds rough, maybe the old exhaust. Take it for a spin, immediately can tell it's down on power. Probably an injector (known failure point) or coil. Definitely only running on 5 cylinders.
Pull over in a cul-de-sac, to check over a little more thorough. This cars had a rough life, a very poor respray has left over spray on all the weather stripping and under hood. I could tell it had been repainted from the pictures, it wasn't a factory color for that year, but I couldn't tell it was this bad.
Find the source of the moldy smell. The rear window seal has perished and is letting water in big time, RIP hatch carpet. While I'm doing this I walk around to the front and there is now a nice puddle of coolant forming under the car. Sure enough waterpump is leaking like a sieve. Well.. that's the final nail in the coffin for this one. My one rule was I had to be able to drive it back the 2 hours to the house.
Drive it back to the seller, on the way steam is just starting to pour out of the empty radio cavity in the dash and vents. I just start laughing like an idiot. Was only 1/4 mile away so get the car back, tell him whats wrong and that in it's current state, it's a $500 car not a $2500 car like he had it advertised. I wasn't expecting much from a $2500 24 year old car, but I was expecting it to make it more than 1/4 mile.
Drive the 2 hours home and start browsing CL.. this time for a Maserati Bi-Turbo..