I'm thinking about getting a TT-33 pattern pistol and saw the M57's at JG Sales listed as "needs repair." Does anyone have any experience with these?  I assume these are Century "U-Fix-Em's", so they are going to be non-functional (Else Century would sell them as "Very Good"). But does anyone have an idea as to the extent of the repairs needed?  One of the attractive things about the M57 is that it's in production again so parts should theoretically be easier to find.

While I do not have expieriance, I to saw those and gave it some thought. First of all the M57 is not an exact TT33 clone, the mags are not interchangable for starters, that was a deal breaker for me. Secondly, IMO, the price at J&G is not good enough considering you have no idea how bad the damage is or if the part is available. It could just need a spring, it could need a barrel. Who knows? If I saw one for $100 I'd probably take a chance.
The you-fix-'ems are $159
Today a Romanian TT33 is $199
So figure whatever part you order it will cost AT LEAST $10 shipping, that leaves you $30 for the part. BIG GAMBLE! (IMO) They should be practically giving these away.

The mags on the M57 scared me off as well - until they started making them again.

I was thinking of buying 2, on the premise that between them there should be enough parts for one and have some spares.  Plus the frame itself is what I really want - I have some ideas about increasing mag capacity.

On the other hand, JG also had M57's in good condition for $179 - they are C&R, just not listed that way for some reason.

I bought two of them.  The only thing wrong with them is the add-on safety doesn't work reliably (if you pull the trigger really hard the safety will disengage).  Since that was something the original pistols didn't have anyway, that doesn't bother me at all.  I haven't bothered to remove or fix them, I just don't use them.