Welcome to the Bolt! Looks like you've got quite a project there. Do it in small steps. If you tear the whole thing apart at once, it'll be easy to get discouraged and you'll never get it done. So take one thing at a time and soon you'll get there. There's a lot of good help here, so don't be afraid to ask.
By the way--I don't know (or care) what you paid for it, but if the guy lowered the price by "several thousand dollars", he must have been asking pure gold to start out with!!
