http://lancaster.craigslist.org/car/390475929.html

 

Does that seem worth purchasing? He said he had a shop do the swap. I'm going to look at it tomorrow, is there anything special that I should look for?

Hi. Check for the usual. Torque bind, tires matching, etc. Might be near time for a timing belt. With that kind of 'body mileage' check everything, wheel bearings, cv joint boots, hoses, etc. Make sure it really is an AWD vehicle, not an FWD. Anything you find just makes a good case for getting the price down. Not sure if the price is good; I'm not good with prices.

At first glance I thought it was a Ford Escort, sure looks like one. A thorough inspection (what porcupine said) and a good, hard run on the highway should let you know if the new(er) engine and transmission are up to snuff. $1300 is a pretty decent price it it runs nicely.

 

Oh yea, ask the guy if he has ever heard of punctuation.

I'd check out the struts and ball joints and transmission and all that normal stuff. It's a 12 year old car with 217k on it, so you gotta treat it as such. What about the engine accessories (power steering, alternator, etc.)? Anything that's original to the car is on borrowed time.

 

And should you need anything, I've got a dead '95 wagon that I'll be parting out.