all I have to say is when buying an old car dont trust anyone about its history

My nephew had a hip replacement last week and asked me to look at a 2005 Ford Escape for sale (he does not have a car at the moment). The hood had an emissions decal dated 2001. The vehicle is very clean all over, body looks great and even the chassis is bone dry. The seller said the hood had been changed, but did not go into any detail. Asking price about $3,500 USD.