looking to buy - Filter question

[throttle]

I've been lurking around here for a long time and am close to taking the plunge and living the Powerstroke dream.

After much research, I've decided to try and get into a 7.3 while there are still some around with decent miles on them. I found a 2002 with 80,000 miles on it that isn't that far from home and looks to be in great shape.

The only problem that I have with it is that it has a K&N intake and filter on it and I've read on here that you should not run this set up. How big of a deal is it? How many miles on this filter would be a deal breaker for you experts? What will it cost to replace if I bought the truck?

I am assuming that a mod this simple shouldn't have much effect on other vital parts (tranny specifically) and it doesn't appear to be modded otherwise.

Other than the intake issues, what are the other easy things to look at that are vital to the life of this bad boy before I buy?

Thanks!

[superxcrewfx4]

Just look inside the turbo by taking the filter and tube off and if its dirty then you know the turbo could be damaged. Ford has a severe intake system and I myself did the DIY Intake.