I spoke with him via email and he said the dash vin tag is missing and its very rusty. He said the photos look much better than it is and he wants to be up front with it. He also said his best offer is 4k from a dealer and seems to be holding out for more. It's also missing the title. The ad makes it seems like the vin tag is there but he's talking about the fender tag.
To sum it up, no dash vin, no title, no motor/trans/interior and more rust than the photos show. He should take that 4k offer and run. I don't think I would even buy it unless it was cheaper than the sum of parts. In this market a better car can be found with a little work. I should mention he seemed very straight forward and honest.