The more you spend the more someone else has already spent on it. Between me and the bloke I bough my ute off it owes at least $13k- you can have it for $8k if you like
Buy a ute for $2k and you will spend $5-7k getting rust cut out & respray before you know what's going on.... +wheels, + an A14 so that it can keep up with traffic..... and all of a sudden it has cost you $10k+ and is worth $6-7k (unless you have the skills or the mates to do the body work & mechanical work on the cheap)