can't go wrong with an ls1 car IMO. currently looking for one myself. you said it has a carbon fiber hood? are you sure? they came stock with a fiberglass hood with a scoop, don't see why anyone would wste money on a c/f one. there realy aren't many common problemsassociated with the cars that I know of. but with a few cheap mods they are extremely fast and still deliver an average of around 25 mpg. good luck with it, as long as it hasn't been ragged and abused you should be very happy with it. you can check out sites like www.ls1tech.com an www.ls1lt1.com for more specifcs and info on these cars

also with it being an 02 it will have the best options available for the generation. the good intake, heads ect.