Should I buy this 5ktqa?

[Swann, Benjamin R. (BSWANN)]

Robert,

The price is high, unless the car had bee sorted out mechanically.

With that said, the boost problem may be simple one you can put your hands
on.  Check the bottom of the intercooler to throttle body hose (aka michelin
man).  Odds are it has a small perforation at the bottom and can be fixed
temporarily with some alcohol cleaning and wrapping with tape.  There may be
other leaks, but this is the likely culprit, and will cause the low boost
condition.

I would give the guy a best case offer - say $1600 providing the car passes
some other tests you will perform.  Then do some of the following, and if
you can't then the car is probably not for you, as these are some of the
more simple things you may have to do on the car.

Run a compression test to validate the engine is not shot.  You should see
relatively even compression on all cylinders ranging around 130 PSI, lower
is not bad, as long as there is no serious deviation in one or more of the
cylinders.  You can verify the turbo by removing the lower intercooler hose
and seeing if it spins freely.

Itemize repairs required.  You will likely require brakes all around,
possibly ball joints, tires.  Add them up to get a rough esimate of how
myuch the car will cost you just to make it driveable.

I love my wagon, and it is worth way more than when I got it.  I could not
afford to have gotton it this way if I had not done all of the work myself.

Regards,

Ben Swann
'87 5KCSTQW - just about to turn 150K and runs like(or better than) new.