Arcxnus, I wish you the best of luck in your search; you've already been given a lot of great info. I was one of those family mechanics who had checked out a lot of cars for our customers, and in my experience, "as is" usually means "needs work". Having the car checked out by someone you trust can save you a lot of headaches down the road.
A couple of "as is" stories: A friend shows up at a cruise night to show off the car she just bought. I had her pop the hood, and then had to inform her that the heater core had been bypassed! ($500-$600 job)
A '94 Grand Prix gets towed to our shop with $1500 worth of front end damage, because a lower ball joint let go while the guy was driving down the highway. The dealer who sold him the car the week before assured him it was "ready for the road".