I'm going to generalize here because I don't know what you want out of the car and I don't know what condition it is in. Please bear with me.

First, because it is a '91 I am assuming that it has a pretty healthy number of miles behind it. So, for me, that would be something that I would pay fairly close attention to when determining the remaining usable life of the motor, tranny etc.

If you really like the car and are happy to part with the $2,000 to acquire it, I don't see anything wrong with it. I think you could probably do worse. You may very well be able to find one with a bigger motor already in it for around the same price (I don't know for sure, because I'm not in the market for one, it's really just a gut feeling). Even if you do find one with a bigger motor already there though, that doesn't mean it will be a better deal.

Here, you at least know a little bit of the history of the car. By that, I mean that you probably have some idea as to what problems, if any, your friend has had with it. You probably also know how your friend has taken care of it while he's owned it as well. Has he run the living hell out of it, racing it around all the time, foot always to the floor? Obviously, it won't last you as long if he has. Has he done regular scheduled maintenance on it? Or, has he approached it with a "just drive it until the wheels fall off" attitude? Those are questions I can't answer; but, you probably can.

Buying a used car from someone you don't know is a riskier in that regard, because you never really know what your getting into. It is what it is, as is, so to speak. On the other hand, there are always risks involved in buying anything from "friends" too.

As for the 305 specifically, it's definitely not the racer's choice for a reason. I wouldn't expect to get a whole bunch of power out of it; because they're definitely not fire breathers and there are more efficient, cost effective and reliable ways to get the power wanted.

If it doesn't have the power you want, (because you're 16, and I was there once too, I'm sure it won't) you can always put a bigger motor in there later. That of course will cost you more, so that's something you'll probably want to consider.

In the end, I guess, I don't believe it really matters what anybody else (other than your parents) thinks about it. It doesn't really matter what car you buy and at what price, it really all comes down to you making a decision to part with your green. Do you feel it's worth it? Are you willing to spend the money that's being asked for it because you want it, and then hope it is reliable enough to get you from point A to point B? And then, if it's not exactly the way you want it, spend even more money (possibly a lot more money, like in the 1,000's or even 10's of 1000's $$$ more) to make it the way you want? Those are the questions that matter most I think.

Good luck,
Dutch