Hello all! My wife is looking to purchase a 2002 LXi coupe with the 3.0L engine, 67,000mi, $8300. The interior is immaculate but the beige exterior notsomuch. It's got scratches here and there, two of the chrome wheels are a peeling nightmare and the grille is cracked near the passenger foglamp and missing the chrome surround.

She also looked at a black LXi coupe (73,000; $8000)that was in much better condition on the outside, but the inside needed a heavy detailing, and was a smoker's car (evident from a couple burns in the headliner). The wheels on this one were horrendous...each one had the chrome peeling from the centercaps out...obviously a common problemup North?

She's leaning toward the beige coupe solely for the interior...and against my wishes, of course. I'm a fan of black cars (own a blacked out 2006 Impala SS) and would love another in my driveway.

I've got a couple questions:

1. Are there any common issues i should look for in this vehicle/engine? Both ran strong when i drove them. Aside from the interior/exterior blemishes on each, they seemed OK.

2. What size & bolt pattern are the wheels? With either one, new ones are a must.

3. Both A/C's stunk...quite literally. What can i do to "cleanse" the ducts? In other vehicles, i've sprayed the inside air intake with a can of lysol and blew it through the vents. It helped to kill the bacteria and worked pretty well...got rid of the smell. Is there anything stopping me from doing this on this car? On one, the A/C actually did not smell...it was just the air when the A/C was NOT on...the other was only when the A/C was on.

4. The black LXi (73,000mi) came with the auto-stick feature. Are there any known problems with this unit?

5. Where can i buy OEM parts for less than at dealer cost? Obviously, i know i can search the junkyards, so you don't need to say that...and i've already checked eBay for what i need to no avail. I particularly need the grille and chrome trim ring, and one taillight was scratched (along with the rear bumper).

Thanks!

-Chris