Sounds like the TSC people didn't really know the full story behind it. Those places, and others, do have a frequent turnover in workers. If it is all you can afford, and you think you can get everything up to par without a lot more money and time, then probably should keep it. Deliberately scamming someone versus not knowing all the real details are different things to me. As Charles said above you should be able to find parts pretty easily without a huge price tag. I would definitely replace all the fluids and oil filter just to be safe.