Personal preference really.
I am going on basic economics of demand and supply. In Japan hatches are more in demand. Therefore harder to get, leading to higher prices. I am strictly talking about cars that are even worth inspecting. You can find rust buckets almost anywhere for any budget...Not my thing.
In Aus around 80 percent of orders I get are for Hatches. A clean hatch will always get you at least your money back.
As to the Toyota mechanic owning it - Yes I agree it would have been well looked after. My dealer friend trades in hard to get rare Japanese classics and is very honest in his dealings so I have no reason to doubt that he bought it from the mechanic, he speaks of.
86Beers said:
Why do you say a hatch is better in the long term? I quite like the notchbacks
If that was owned by someone working at Toyota you can bet it will have been well looked after and properly serviced.