buying a 4wd. few issues. help!

[ratatat]

OK, i found a 4wd wagon and i'm really excited, i really want to buy it.
the guy started it up and it ran. i couldn't drive it because he was fixing the strut and had the car jacked up.
naturally, the guy waited till i get to his house to let me know that it failed the smog check due to the timing belt skipping a tooth(?) thus it was off by 11 degrees.
is this a very very bad thing, or will a new timing belt fix it? my dad's very skeptical about the car because of the tooth skipping. i never heard of that before, so i'm clueless.
on top of the timing belt/smog issue, the car needs the change-over solenoid, or 4wd-solenoid, or whatever other terminology is used. basically, the car needs this solenoid to go from 2wd to 4wd (its an automatic) and it's almost impossible to find it anywhere. anywhere, that is, except the toyota dealer, who has one for $266 and some change, which i am willing to drop for one of these cars if need be.
***it was mentioned in a previous post that i should have the solenoid looked at to be sure, and sure enough, it's a bad solenoid.

is this car too risky to buy? or should i take my chances and buy the car?
the body is straight, the interior is in decent condition, and i didn't see any rust, though i'm not positive on that one.

also, this might be a longshot, but if anybody happens to have the type of solenoid i'm looking for, and is willing to sell it, PLEEEEASE pm me your price!
my potential tercel is an 85 dlx.

any help,comments, suggestions are appreciated!

[takza]

I'd make sure you drive it before you buy it.

Might check this out?

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=517

[keith]

The timing belt keeps the valves, pistons and spark all in sync so that the engine works. If you skip one tooth, you will notice a lack of power and lower fuel economy. It also means the belt is close to breaking or the tensioner is defective/out of adjustment. Anyway, it must be fixed.

In many vehicles, if the belt breaks or very many teeth are skipped, the engine will suffer a lot of damage. These are referred to as "interference engines". The Tercel's do not have interference engines, so while a broken belt will require you to call a tow truck, it won't damage the engine.

[Petros]

I would not buy an automatic if I had a choice, they are less reliable, get poor gas mileage and they exacerbate an already underpowered car as it is. The auto trans is a little less common, and very expensive to have rebuilt. If the auto trans fails it is likely the end of usefulness as a car, it only then worth a parts car.

If you are still going to buy it, than the timing belt issue is a fairly easy fix and should not cause any issues. Though as suggested, I would replace the timing belt, they only cost about $20 IIRC (shop around for the best price). The most expensive repair you might face (presuming the engine is running good and the trans works) is the half shafts, if the CV joints in the half shafts are worn you could be sinking several hundred more $ into it. Most other repairs usually can be done yourself for under $100. with careful parts shopping. We are here to help guide you through it.