Nissan Repair: 1990 Maxima Crankshaft, competent mechanic, buying a used car

Question
A person is trying to sell me a car with a crankshift that just went out.  I first of all dont even know what this is.  And how expensive something like this would be.  The car is a 1990 and they want $500 for it.  (negotiable) says owned by mechanic for last 120K miles so been taken care of and then crankshift went out.  The car cosmetically look well cared for, but I just dont know what this type of work entails and how expensive it is.  Help?

Answer
Hi Kathy -

My advice is not to buy it. The crankshaft is in the middle of the engine, and to get to it, you more or less have to take the entire engine apart, replacing many components on the way. You are looking at about a $3,000 job, at least. The car should be sold for parts, not to run.

I am glad you asked -

You can find a much better deal, just look around a little more - Remember that when you are buying a used car, you are really buying someone else's problems, so be careful. The best deal is to look for ads that say "moving, must sell", or someone that just cannot drive anymore and wants to sell. most of all, car has to be running, and running well. Have it checked by a competent mechanic before purchasing.

Good luck, and hope this helps -
aloha
calvin