Keep in mind, the money I spent on my blower was used pricing, so they can fluctuate around some. You could spend $250 depending on how motivated the seller is. Really, the main thing I would focus on getting if you wanted a spare would be a nose drive as that is the more likely place you could have any trouble. The bearings in the Case are replaceable but youd have to pull the blower off the car. The rotor packs you can replace on the car, as well as the nose drive. But there are seals and bearings in the nose drive that are more likely to go bad over time.
You would probably have to pop the hood to hear the noises, though admittedly, I could hear mine inside the car, but if you pop the hood and dont hear anything unusual you are probably clear on the blower.
Here IS what I would do.
1. Pull the dipstick. If he oil is all syrupy and deep black and thick, it probably has not been changed in a long while and would key me to poor maintenance.
2. Pull the tranny fluid dipstick. If it is burn or not a bright red, probably not been taken care of there.
3. Before the engine is hot or started, pull the radiator cap off. Check for any sludge or gel like material there. Its not necessarily bad if it is there, just means you need to get the system flushed soon and/or change to a non-Dex Cool coolant.
4. Inspect for rust around/on the lower cradle/sub-frame
Do as thorough of an inspection as you can before you turn your money over. You get any gut feelings or suspicions you need to back out, do so. Better to walk away than to have to dump even more money into the vehicle.
