Hi,
I would not pay that, if he ran that Edger without a air filter, that would not be good!
I went to my local ECHO Dealer and bought 2 edgers and 2 weedeaters for $25. (from the scrap bin)
I got 3 machines running but all of them needed new carbs, fuel lines, ect.
Here is a pic of my PE-200 ( one of the machines I bought) to answer your throttle question.
They are nice edgers but only a machine and reflect how they are treated!!!