Hi all, new to the forum but actively looking for a ZHP in the Los Angeles/SoCal area. Found this listing on CL with no pictures (which always feels like a red flag to me) for a 2005 AW automatic sedan over Alcantara interior (sucker for a rare combo) with 146,000 miles for $7800, but inquired nonetheless out of curiosity for this engine rebuild mentioned. Here's the link, but I'll paste the writeup on the ad below anyway: https://losangeles.craigslist.org/sg...810121839.html

"The car engine has been replaced with overhauled repaired engine on 116k miles.
Tires are new. Radiator and coolant hose are new. Car is very clean. Suede interior.
This car has been maintained to perfection.
Issue: Driver side seat top part is torn"

I chatted with the guy on the phone and had him send me pictures - I have yet to see the car in person, but cosmetically, it's definitely not perfect. You can see the front bumper is misaligned and has a significant scuff/scrape on the passenger side bottom, a handful of dents, and the driver's seat bolster is torn up badly. I've attached the pictures he's sent me below.

I'll recount everything he told me about the car in terms of mechanicals. It's got a clean title, but this guy (a mechanic at a shop somewhere in Glendale) bought it with a blown engine in 2013. He did the following work himself (but doesn't have any receipts to prove the work, but he said he'd write up a parts list if I wanted it): at 115k miles, he took the engine out of the car and did basically an entire top-end rebuild. This included the cylinder head, pistons, rod bearings, engine mounts, spark plugs, as well as the entire cooling system, all the belts, hoses, and all 4 brakes as good measure. (He was talking fast so I may have missed some engine parts when he was rattling them off) The automatic transmission is original and he claims it has no issues. The suspension is original and he says it's fine. He didn't note anything about the VANOS, but he claimed the car needs nothing else mechanically besides a driver's side front shock mount that he's planning on replacing because of a squeaking sound.

He and his wife have been driving the car since this work was done in 2013, and they've driven it about 30k miles with seemingly no issues.

I would never take someone's word alone when buying a car, so of course I'm planning to check the car out in person. I'm not sure how I'd be able to verify the quality of work he did on the car, if he used OEM parts or not, etc - so I'm definitely wary. Just wanted to put this car on everyone's radar and share it with the community. What do you guys think?

20190206_151556 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

20190206_151546 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

20190206_151610 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

20190301_124933 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

20190301_124938 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

20190301_124956 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr

20190301_125051 by Nick Sarazen, on Flickr