is your mechanic reliable? if you can trust him to shoot square with
you, ask him to

pull a punch list on your vehicle for needed repairs. some charge for a  

diagnosis - unless they do the work, but it is better to get needed
repairs taken care

of for safety and as a prevention against the compounding of a bad
situation.

also, if he doesn't do x-mission work, ask him for a couple of shops
that are reliable / reasonable.

mho
vƒe

A good tech should be able to give you a list of obviously needed repairs
and a relativly accuare estimate of the general conditon of the engine and
suspension/ powertrain with minimum diagnostic time involved. No tech can
accurately predict what might fail unexpectedly. A compression test on an
older engine dosen't mean much by itself. A clyinder leak down test along
with careful inspection for signs of poor maintainence will tell a lot more.
In most cases a good look at the sludge under the oil filler cap tells the
whole story.

Could be the best money you spend on it.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos:  Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590
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An inspection is imho a very good use of your money.  A good mechanic,
hopefully one with experience with that make, who can see and hear
things that most of us would pass by.

For example my daughter was considering the purchase of a 2000 Saab.
We spent $75.00 for a mechanic at the local Saab dealer to give it a
pre-purchase inspection, and he spotted several issues that would have
to be resolved in the near future.  The owner wasn't willing to
negotiate so we passed.

There are