How handy are you? Boats in that price range will need some work. As jason said make sure there are no soft spots in floor, walk, jump, on it make sure it is solid. If it has carpet, see if you could pull it up to really see the deck. Does the motor pee when runnning? If so it should not be hot, that tells you that the impeller is working and cooling properly. Pull off one spark plug at a time while motor is runing "be careful" the motor should not run really rough. That tells you if all cylinders are good. Outboards are going to be easier and cheeper than inboards to work on. Try to go for a test run. Don't forget about the condition of the trailer if there is one. And take a power squadron boating course. Boat= Break Out Another Thousand.