Whats does it mean when a car has a "stripped head"?

Question

im currently searching for a cheap car that will last me until i get my credit score high enough to purchase a brand new one flat out. i have about 2500 dollars to work. so ive been looking in the local newspapers and craigslist. i found a decent car, but its being sold very cheap. cheaper than id assume a 2001 ford explorer should go for (its 1500). the owner said that it has a stripped head that can be fixed with a 15 dollar heli coil. i have alot of questions about the whole thing. first im wondering what a stripped head is. second what is a heli coil? third is it really that cheap to fix? fourth, (told you there were alot of questions lol) is a car with a stripped head drivable or will i need to tow it to a shop? and finally, will a stripped head cause other areas of the vehicle to malfunction? im really dumb when it comes to cars so any help would be greatly appreciated. thanx in advance!

Answer 1

I am thinking what they are referring to is stripped head bolts.  The bolt is fine, but the threads in the block are ripped out.  Now I would leave it to a machine shop to put in a helicoil(which basically is a coil of threads) into the hole so that the head bolt can be torqued down properly.    It will fasten down just like normal.   Ask a machine shop on how much it would cost for them to do the work.

   Oh, that could be a head bolt or a spark plug.  What ever has threads.  It happens.

Answer 2

A stripped hole where the sparkplug screws in. Helicoil is very common repair. I'd make him do the repair, then see how the car runs. I laugh when the guy says, "Oh it's an easy cheap fix. You do it" Yeah right. Nice try.  

Answer 3

Ask this seller what is striped out.  If he fixes it before you buy it,  Then take it to a mechanic you trust and have it gone through.  cheap car = more problems.

Answer 4

I wouldn't buy it. A stripped head means that the spark plug got forced out of the head and stripping it on it's way out. I had an Expedition that had a stripped head and the Ford Dealer wanted 3.2K to repair but I found a mobile company that re threads the head. A heli coil is a temporary fix to the problem and usually makes things worse. This is a common problem with Fords(1997-2003) and they refuse to fix this problem. Good luck!