I have never hear of anyone talk about this as an indicator. Bottom line is how much actual bearing wear, play and tolerances? The cam should show some real wear. Are there any significant performance issues with drivability and emissions? There are other indicators of serious engine wear that would most likely accompany if things are truly this bad- 1 year!

I hear a few mechanics that have seen my cars over the years say something like "well its got over 100,000 on it, what do you expect?". Might be true with your gremlin! A few of these guy's have expectations of how they think a car perform over time and this effects their judgment and opinions. If he saw the same thing on a 10,000 mile car he might not suspect a thing.

Alot of the reason I do my own work is because of some these kind of problems. I even had a mechanic tell me my steering rack was worn out (went in for tires or oil change, or something). Problem was, I had replaced it 1 year previously. that worn out rack got me through 4 more years- then body rust too bad! When I called him on it, he said "do you really know it was replaced?". Yeah- I bolted it on myself #$^%face! Most mechanics are nt bad, but I have a knack for uncovering a few on the left side of the bell curve!

I try not to get too wrung out over what one guy says anymore! I think the performance of the car will speak more for its condition. If worse comes to worse, another machanic could probably give you some free advice and perhaps gain a new customer.