older (65-69??) 350: to buy or not to buy?

[arroyojim]

hello
this is my first post and i am brand new to heavy equipment as well...
found a 350 crawler loader with back hoe for sale nearby and trying to figure out if i should buy.
my "local" deere repair guys (honnen equip, denver) are 2+ hours away and charge $120/hr for a service call, so i'm looking at min $500 not including any actual repair time and parts!
i am sort of handy with mechanical stuff but lost my shop and tools in the fourmile fire, so am somewhat limited in what i can do myself at the moment.

can anyone give me any suggestions for what to inspect and any major red flags to look for?

i will post some pics later

[KenP]

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