it looks good inside and out. however neither she nor i know much about cars and i dont know what to look for when buying a used car. I plan on paying a mechanic to take a look at it, but was wondering if there are some tips or tricks i can use myself. I think she said the shocks or struts are bad ....what is that ? how much does that cost to fix ? thank you so much.

Front struts will cost about $ 400 or $ 500 to replace. I would highly recommend a mechanic do a thorough check on the entire vehicle. If the struts are gone, chances are there's other problems that will need to be repaired soon. Good luck!

shocks and struts easily 500 bucks parts and labor, you should, as you've stated, have it looked over not by a mechanic, but by an ase certified technician, most shops can do a pre purchase inspection for an hours labor, so you might be out 70-100 dollars but at least you will have a piece of mind one way or another if it's a good deal or not, make sure they compression check the engine and check the brakes in their inspection, good luck