Advice needed: Quattro Hiatus Options

[Osman Parvez <oparvez1@nycap.rr.com>]

Hi Folks,
   I need some advice. Here is the situation: My 89 200q, 176K miles, is
now costing me more time and money than I can truly afford. With never
increasing pressure from my financial backer (I'm in grad school), I
have been forced to consider alternatives to keeping my 200q. 
   So, a couple of things I need to consider:
1. Keep or Sell. If I keep it, the 200q goes into a somewhat damp musty
barn for the next 1.5 years. I will probably have a chance to go home
and drive it seldomly. I'm rather suspicious that putting the car in
storage, especially in a barn, will be the equivalent of nailing the lid
on a coffin. My last experience with not driving my 200q regularly for
an extended period of time (6 months) was that the car was very unhappy
with me. 
If I sell the car, I think that I am unlikely to recover even what I
have put into it in the last two years. The list of replaced/replenished
parts is quite substantial.

2. What vehicle to Lease/Buy while I am in graduate school. My choices
are very limited. The vehicle must have low mileage, or be brand new. It
also has to be in the mid 15's range for purchase, a bit more for
leasing. 
My #1 choice is the Passat, which is outside of the range of
affordability right now. The Financial Backer (my old man of course) is
pushing for a nice Toyota Corolla or Camry, i.e. an appliance on wheels. 

This is a very painful process for me right now as I am certainly
emotionally attached to this 200q. I have replaced many major components
of the car, including the entire Hydraulic system (clutch MC, Clutch SC,
Bomb, Rack, Pump) as well as the Clutch, the suspension, and now
recently (thanks to Igor's help) my brakes. I have Eurolights (still
without harness) and am running Hak 1's in the winter. I also replaced
the stock stereo head unit with a Cd player. The Oil cooler lines were
replaces as well as the Fuel Lines. The starter and alternator were also
replaced recently. I think I have hit every major failure mode except
for the EM and the LIfters. 

My ideal solution is keeping the car as my daily driver and getting my
money's worth out of it. Howerver, I need to be able to justify this on
paper over a cheapie Corolla lease (2K down, 168/month). However, I must
also give serious consideration to the alternatives. 

IF someone reading this is interested in purchasing my 200q, please drop
me a line. Although it isn't officially up for sale, You will be the
first ones to know when it is. The car is Pearl White, Sport Seats,
Black Interior. It has the usual wear and tear on the body and interior
of a car with 176K miles, including a few dings. If the car goes
offically on the market, I will probably put together a simple site with
photos..and details. Please consider that I am trying to get at least
what I have invested back out.

Any and all comments greatly appreciated. Most appreciated are BTDT's on
owning a 5000csq,200q past 176K mile marker, in regard to cost.

Thanks ppl.
-Osman Parvez
89 200q (waiting for more brake parts from TPC)
91 Golf (on loan)
Albany NY