[awdbandito]

Thanks so much for everyone's input. I just bought the car on Sunday from the current owner of 4 years who put 100k miles on it. It was his only car and he was ready to move on to something else. Given several factors I believed the car was fairly reliable from an engine/trans standpoint. I paid $15k for it.
I did not have a ppi or even look at the car all that closely other than a short test drive and basic inspection. I thought the price was right so I jumped while I had the chance.

I've driven it about 1200 miles over the past 2 days and have been in torrential rain, 100 degree heat, nice back roads and stop and go interstate travel. Mechanically the car seems OK, but all of the items I listed before need to be addressed. It also needs a full refresh of the suspension and after closer inspection the whole driver side of the car has been painted. It was a glass out job which is why I didn't notice it when I noticed the driver door. By the time I address the little things I'll probably have $22-$25k in the car. Or it could end up being the golden plated Porsche situation...... This car is well used but still has a lot of life in it.

It's the $8-$10K SC from 5 years ago.