Possible Purchase??? Help me out, I'm a noob..

[mattferguson14]

I know what you mean. Working on your vehicle strengthens the bond and familiarizes you with what's under the hood. It makes you appreciate it more and there is a certain amount of pride you get when you complete a task like that on your own. I've done a ton of wrenching on my previous vehicles. Everything from small upgrades to big time repair jobs and projects. But when I pay $7000 for a vehicle, I'm not sure how I feel about diving into it the next week to do this much work. I feel like $36 an hour is worth it to have the dealer do it. Not to mention I live in an apartment and I don't think management wants my truck torn apart in their parking lot I have a buddy's house I could work on it at, but still debating.. I'm also still trying to figure out if it's been done already by a previous owner. Does anyone know a way to tell if it's been replaced other than hearing it from the horse's mouth?

[MSHardeman]

I think $36/hour for labor is a screaming deal and I would jump on it, especially since you don't really have a space to work on it.

I can't remember, but have you checked the last four digits of your VIN against the owner database here on the site? You might find the previous owner here on the board and then you could ask them. Barring that I don't know if it's possible to tell if the belt has been changed or not. You could always remove the timing belt covers and take a look at the belt, but I don't know if that would be definitive either.