As lot of more expert folks will tell you don't get blinded by a nice paint job... I looked a lot of cars for 4 month or so before I purchased my car. I got luck in that the owner cared who he sold it to... I know why now... It had a older frame off restoration . My car is not perfect but engine runs well and it breaks better than I expected --mechanical.
I really like my car more than I expected; it was at a level I could learn... I plan on keeping it as original as I can and enjoy the 35-40mph fun.
Interesting. Prices for drivers can be higher than for restored cars. Based on my cars as drivers, I stole both of them. It really depends on the sample size, which for my two, is quite small.