Originally Posted by Bama1

You have already tainted the deal to some degree by starting at a WAG of $4000 before you have done any research. (Tainted? You're kidding me, right? I wanted her to understand that she was starting too high for negotiating with ME. I was only sending a subliminal message that her price needed to come down to a more 'reasonable' number TO START FROM.)
The car is from road salt country, New Jersey...I would crawl all under this thing to identify any concerns or issues before starting any real offer.

Does she have the title and registration?
What will the repairs cost for known problems?
Ever been dinged or damaged and repaired? (Are you sure?)
When were the major repairs done to the car? (helps to evaluate when they will need to be done again)
Does documentation include repairs to the following parts or their subsystems:
Transmission?
Drive train?
Half-axles
Radiator?
HVACC controller?
What about shocks/struts?
Brake rotors, pads, and master cylinder?
Wheel bearings? (I can only assume that her collection of 'complete' records will have the answer to these q's.)

Date and mileage of any of these are important to establish the risk for having to replace them and to estimate expected costs for attending to them when they occur.

Begin by handing her $1900 cash while asking for the key...I would go no more than 2500 or so. Depends on how well you can negotiate a deal. (Obviously you and I come from two differing viewpoints regarding negotiating a 'good deal'! Offering her less than a third what she's 'asking' would likely cause her to recoil and tell me where to go, and end up getting me no where! At least, IMHO, my way eases her into the notion that she will most likely need to rethink her asking price.)
Remember, the seller has no true vested interest or actual money invested in this item and will be happy to take what they can get to get rid the car. (This statement about "vested interest" is probably not true since this car was purchased by her father new some 23 years ago. She is probably, at best, vested 'EMOTIONALLY" into it.) It is all a matter of being an informed buyer and not being emotional or afraid of walking away if they don't accept your offer.

The value is in the eye of the beholder ...the worth is what a buyer agrees to.
While I disagree with much of your post, I do agree with you regarding being an "informed" buyer.
g'luck