Ideally, Id like to do a compression check on the car. I dont know any garages in sealy, so if you dont have the tools or expertise to do one on site, a good test drive and thorough visual inspection would be all i need. On the test drive, look for excessive smoke, listen for grinding or clunking noises in suspension, and feel how the tranny is shifting.
And again, thank you so much for offering to do this. Id feel so much better shelling out the cash to go out there if someone like you got to check it out first.