79 bug starting problem

Looking into buying a 79 bug from an individual who says that the engine is new (@ 33 miles on it) but he has trouble starting the car. He has been using starter fluid to get it going. So my question is did he harm the car/engine in some way by doing this? The car was his sons so maybe the battery wasn't charged enough to start the car? Do you think this maybe something that will cost $$$$ down the road or is it possibly a simple fix? Thanks!!
Carey:runaround:

As long as they used just a spritz of starting fluid, no damage was done. But if they soaked it real good, it would wash any residual oil from the rings and cylinder walls and could cause pre-mature wear. A compression test should be done to see if there's subsantial wear. (125 PSI for an engine with 33 miles)

Is it still fuel-injected or has it been converted to carb?

A low battery will make for hard starts, especially in a FI engine. Make sure the battery is good, all connections are clean and tight. (The ground strap from the battery to the body and the one from the trans to the body are often overlooked)

Other than that, look at timing, valve adjustment and general tune-up specs.

When an engine is rebuilt or replaced, a different distributor is sometimes installed or used, but they rely on the vehicle year for timing settings and other specs. Those settings, and replacement parts (points, cap, rotor, etc) are all dependent on the distributor model, regardless of the engine or vehicle year.

The good point is that all those parts are relatively inexpensive, maybe $20 bucks total, and easy to replace. If you can get the distributor number, I can tell you the proper settings and parts.

The number will be on a plate or stamped into the side of the distributor body and look something like this:

VW 113-905-205M
or
Bosch 0231 115 078