"You get what you pay for" is all I say here.
As far as going up in value, I bought mine for a bit over $23k and don't expect to get that back, let alone the 10-15K I've done in work since then...
If you love the car, then it is worth getting. If you are in the business of buying cars to resell, you can't get emotional. Just walk away.
It sounds like you did the right thing. Just make sure she takes care of it!
