I'm looking at a 2001 Ford Escape and I noticed...?

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LeAnne

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The oil staining you see is more than likely the inevitable oil spills from removing the oil filter during an oil and filter change. The fact that there's no fresh oil or spots where she parks it is a pretty good indicator that it doesn't have any significant leaks.
The KBB is a rough starting point for negotiation - if the car is extremely nice with low mileage, it might be worth the asking price.
 
when I looked under the car there was some oil, kinda dry, not really fresh or very wet, that was on the underside of the engine, it was hard to tell where it was coming from. It was kinda dried on and really black when I rub it between my fingers. It was all around the area next to and near and below the oil filter near some rubber clip clasp type thing. (I know that description is probably vague but I'm no mechanic)
I'm bringing a mechanic to look at it tomorrow so I feel better about that. But is this 'normal' on a car or should this never happen?
I did take it for a test drive and it seemed normal and where she parks the car I didnt see any oil spots on the ground.
Also, the KBB value for the car in good condition is $3,785, she's asking $5,000 OBO. If I do buy it I wont pay a penny over the KBB.
 
Under/around the oil filter is fairly normal. When you change the filter, some oil tends to run down to the underside of the engine, and gathers dirt and grit over time. If it isn't "oil wet" it is probably that whoever changed the filter was too lazy to wipe off the little bit of oil. If the underside of the engine isn't wet wet, you should be fine.
 
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