Congratulations, David!
It's about time, huh?
I see no red flags here! No airplane is perfect!
1. The marker beacon apparently was not factory installed but is installed like the factory would have done, so you likely have an ARC-403 marker beacon receiver. These are cheap and plentiful on the used market, and can be bought on eBay for under $20 each! I bought 4 for $50 (untested as of yet, but I'm confident some will work). The switches and lights in the eyebrow are only remote controls. The marker beacon receiver itself is a gray box mounted behind the pilots kick panel, on brackets riveted to the fuselage skin. You're already wired for it, so replacement should be plug-n-play and maybe replace some indicator bulbs and lenses. Replacement with same is cheaper than repair or upgrade!
2. Undocumented maintenance: Documenting every time a screw is touched with a screwdriver is too much. Not documenting a wing change is too little! Make sure any obvious structural repairs are well documented, and don't be too demanding on cosmetic repairs. The cowling repair may just be a sloppy repaint. If the nosepiece was replaced I would have logged it at the time of repair, but it can be easily inspected and documented at any time. It's a non-issue, if done correctly (other than paint)!
3. Lower instrument panel cracked: Learn to love it! This is expensive and difficult to replace (got a spare $1,000 to spend on it for parts and labor?). There have been some who have had luck repainting these in place (also time consuming and difficult to do right).
4. Gyro switch? Only the turn coordinator is electric! I suspect it may be noisy, and the switch was an attempt to extend it's life. The gyro may already have been replaced. Check the gyro, and lose the unauthorized switch!
5. Cracked wing tips: Common and expected. Can be repaired or replaced (I recommend fiberglass replacements).
6. Possible damage? Engine mounts are also replaced for corrosion, wear, and ground maintenance damage, or as part of an overly zealous engine overhaul. If there were an incident, there should be more evidence, such as patches on the lower firewall and/or lower front fuselage skins and long periods of inactivity before or during the repairs. Was the prop, or nosewheel components replaced at this same time? Engine repair or overhaul along with the evidence above in this same time frame could indicate a prop strike! But, properly done and documented older repairs are not usually a problem.
ADDED LATER: There is an FAA record of an incident involving this aircraft in september of 1980. "STUDENT PILOT LOST NOSEWHEEL ON LANDING. AXLE STUD MISSING NUT AND COTTER PIN." It is possible the mount was bent then. Look for other records in the logs and check the firewall and lower skins for repairs. It's been 27 years! It's probably fine!
7. No intercom: You already have a marker beacon wired in (albeit inop), and com switches. Replace the inexpensive factory marker beacon with same. Keep the com switches. Now all you need is an inexpensive and small panel mount or portable intercom that can be mounted anywhere, and you don't use up that spare hole in your panel (you will need that hole for something else, eventually, guaranteed! Don't be in too big a hurry to use it.)
8. Engine rebuild by unknown shop! Is everything well documented? No red flags in the paperwork? The engine has to be on it's 2nd or 3rd overhaul, but that doesn't really mean anything. It's accumalated 650 TSOH and has proven itself reliable at this point. There's no reason the bottom end shouldn't make it to TBO and beyond, based on what little we know about it now.
In the pics: It looks to me like every other VG is missing on the wings. As I understand the available STC's only a certain number of VG's can be missing and still be considered legally airworthy. They may need to be replaced or removed altogether. The marker beacon labeling is from an old eyebrow. An old eyebrow panel was cut out to make labels for the existing (unlabeled original) eyebrow panel underneath. I've seen worse! This can be discarded and the underlying panel labeled properly. Check for the complete and proper installation of all mods, including the flap and aileron gap seals.
Don't fall in love just yet! Wait for the pre-buy by somebody that knows 150's (knows "Cessna" isn't really enough) and don't use somebody that knows the owner!
Good luck!
