The thing is...for an old model car, you can buy small and geniune engine parts and put them in and they will function exactly or even better than the old ones. But you can never restore the same look of the car once it is repainted. That is, if you are into the looks of the cars you're buying.
A repainted car, if done correctly which costs a lot especially considering the prices of the old cars, looks great and it's very difficult to spot any differences. However, most of the repainted cars I see have a lot of inconsistencies around the body which, if white or black, look okay but look uneven in other colours.
I got a bumper to bumper 2012 cultus (well kept on the outside and the interior) but needed a bit of work in the engine. Had to spend 20k above the buying cost but once it was fixed...it looked and worked as (almost) new.
With my experience of buying used cars and seeing other people buying used cars too, 'used gaarhi kaam to nikaalti hee hai.' But it's better if that kaam is only engine ka kaam and not body work.
