Thinking about getting this 91 legend for 1500, what do you guys think...

What kind of witchcraft is going on with that trans then? I've never gotten a good look at one of these.

Known widespread issues with Headgaskets. Ask if these have been replaced by a reputable shop that milled the heads and did everything right. If not, you're taking a huge gamble IMO. I'd suggest an older Lexus ES for comfy V6 cruising. or maybe even something domestic if you can tolerate the interiors.

FYI Buying a $1500 on a $2000 budget really doesn't leave much wiggle room for the inevitable repairs that will follow, even if you're doing the work yourself. Just catching up on some neglected maintenance (inevitable) will eat through that $500 in no time. A set of tires alone might put you over budget.

I bought an older ES300 in really nice shape for $1600 this fall, and have put about $700 in parts into it (brakes front and back, full t-belt kit, snow tires on steelies), and $375 for the t-belt installation and other odds and ends that I didn't tackle myself. That's on a car that I'd be willing to bet is in much nicer shape than the Legend in question.

Don't mean to be a wet blanket, just leveling with you.

It's a not-unheard of layout, Acura also used it in the Vigor IIRC, and Chrysler had it in their LH cars.

same as Chrysler Intrepid had for a while, as said Acura Vigor used that system too. just has a different shape of transmission behind the engine that still gives the engine longitudinal design but stays FWD

Vw also did it with the b5 passat

Old saabs did it too.

What is the benefit? It seems it would have the same power loss as rwd with none of the benefits of fwd because the wheels are rotating at a 90° angle from the crank. Is it purely for fitment or is there something I'm missing?

Easier to service not having a cylinderhead pointing at the firewall. Engineers used to think ahead, not just "how cheap can we ship it out the door, who cares if people have to work on it".

More room for better suspension designs. Audi/VW and Honda use multilink/double wishbone front suspension which allows the camber to remain neutral as the wheels steer. Audi and Subaru use a longitudinal layout because it is good for 4wd as well. No bevel gear to turn the power 90 degrees for the rear driveshaft, and most importantly symmetrical front axles which means no torque steer. Transverse fwd/awd layouts have unequal length front axles and awkward transfer cases for awd. The engine, transmission, and tcase all must fit between the front wheels/susp. in a transverse design. The only downsides are cost, packaging, and audis and subarus are nose heavy for this reason.

thanks

OP here, checked the car out. The dude was retired mechanic pretty much rebuilt the car. Its still in rough shape. Needs a water pump and the a/c doesn't work. Got him down to 1100. The engine sounds great. Roars like lion when I slammed on the accelerator. Felt good since the only thing I have driven for my whole life has been 4 cylinders

Got a couple saabs, volvo, and the typical Toyotas and Hondas in my sight I've seen on Craigslist. Living in 60+ age area isn't too bad.

I had an automatic type ii (230 hp). That tranny did not fair well above 110k. But it had no manual or service records with it so....