The 2.7 is certainly not one of the best engines Mopar has put out. But they made some changes about 2000, and there have been noticeably less problems with the engine since then.

As to rust problems mentioned earlier, the convertible is a Japan based body while the sedan is a US based body. Totally different.

If you have a good Dodge dealer local, you may have them go over the car and see what they think. The 2.7 would not be my first choice, but as noted we see some of them go 200k or more. Our local police had some Intrepids with 2.7s that went almost 200k before they replaced them.

For $1,500, if the kid got a year or two out of it, that might not be too bad.