Should I buy this 2008 Scion xB with 230k miles on it?

If you only want it to last a year, it'll probably do that. It's a gamble with that many miles.

The mileage is fairly high, but that is of little consequence . What is worrisome is that it is low on oil. That suggests that the car was not well maintained. Neither by the owner, nor by the dealer. If they skimped on oil changes because they do not think it is worth new oil, they may know something that you do not. Other than that, you could offer them 1/2 the asking price.

If it has adjustable cam timing and the oil level is low and black best have $1000 on hand to replace the cam actuators. That's a lot of miles!

"Hooked it up to a code scanner and all it needs is spark plugs and obviously it’s low on oil". Who told you that? The dealer? Lol. Not quite. It could have low compression and then you would need a new engine. At 230K miles, there is a good chance that it might have low compression. The short answer is No.

Bad idea.

$1750 seems expensive.

Just quick research on Edmunds - top of the line in that condition and mileage = should be around $1200.

Would I expect a $1200 car to last me a year or two? You are purchasing a jalopy. It might last until next week or 5 years.

That's a lot of miles for a 10 year old car (about double the average). I wouldn't touch it without at least doing a compression test, a brake inspection, a general inspection, a very thorough test drive, and seeing some maintenance records on it.

Worth paying a mechanic to do a complete inspection. Worn suspension parts can easily exceed $1,000 to replace and that's before a wheel alignment. Not a lot of life left in the engine and transmission. I would pass on it myself.

its 1750 for a reason. Buy it, but dont be butthurt if it blows up next up