97 DeVille pre purchase checks??
 

I found a 97 DeVille that I'd like to buy. The owner let me keep it for awhile to check it over. It has 133,000 miles on it and seems to be in over all good condition. I was looking for possible suggestions on what to look for from anyone. I haven't noticed any type of leaks. The car seems to run great. The only problem I found is with the a/c. When I first looked at the car and ran the a/c it seemed to run alright. The next few days I got a message saying, "very low refridgerant, compressor off". The car has been sitting for the past 10 months. I noticed under the hood that the a/c housing was missing a small cover. It seems like if the a/c was working it would blow into the engine compartment.
Any ideas on what to look at???
thanks

I decided to take it to the local Cadillac dealer and have a inspection done. They also do a hydrocarbon test that determines the condition of the engine. It's a bit much to pay.. but I'd rather have someone evaluate it's condition than buy a clunker...
I'll update later....

I took the car to the Cadillac dealer to have the hydrocarbon test done. Because the air conditioner is not working and the compressor is bad the test could not be done. The person I was supposed to buy this car from told me the a/c worked. Drama, drama, drama........
So what I got from the dealership service dept was that the Northstar engine is not with out its problems. Being that this engine is all aluminum it has problems with the head bolts.
I'll stick with my old trusty Volvo 240 wagon...... :pppp!!!!