is it too much work to buy

As long as the drivetrain (motor,tranny,rearend,axles) are in good shape and dont make any clunking or vibrations all that other stuff is minor.

Find out where its leaking antifreeze from and see what you need to do to fix it.
The e brake- it may be the cable or something like that. Relatively easy to fix.
The speedo sounds like it way off. Check the cable that goes into the side of the tranny.
Rust spots are easy to fix and clean up.

I would not give him 4900 for it. Is it a 5 speed or Auto. If its a 5 speed how did the clutch feel. If its an auto did it shift ok. Was there any vibrations. Ask him if there is a set of gears in the rearend to cause the speedo being off.

I would take it for another drive and stomp on it a few times to see if everything sounds ok. You may want to have the VIN # checked for mileage. They only go up to 99999 and then they roll over. So are sure it dosnt have 178000 on it.

I would give the guy 3700-4000 max. Theres some work to be done. But as long as the drivetrain is ok. You dont want to buy a clunk bucket and work on it all the time.

HA, thats the way i feel now but i already bought my car, Now im currently ripping out the motor. yeah just make sure everything is pretty much sound. Have someone that knows a lot about cars go with you and have them check it out.

Better make sure body is in good shape,other wise they sell for $300-$800.
So fix that first.

Personally all the stuff you described is minor...Honestly buying a 14 year old car and only having those things wrong with it is worth it to me...I just recently purchased another 5.0 with 100K on it with a 5 speed for $4800...Those cars are getting near imposible to find in good shape without rust for under $5000. I say but it or save antoher 3K and get one that has a better paint job...Just take a look at auto trader and see how much they go for.

look at the under carriage and make sure the unibody is straight and has no rust. Check for rust in the: hatch, door jambs, and rockers. Other than that the other stuff is really minor. I would say honestly, it's probably worth 2800 and no more. The car is 14 years old and has some imperfections (as any 14yr old car would). Around me, a 1992 gt with exhaust, lowering springs, wheels, tint and a new paint job with black interior went for 6100 and it had 71,xxx miles on it. Save a few more dollars and buy one with work done already or fix that one up and make it your pride and joy, like I do!