You are being told the noise is from the timing belt is from being a tooth off. No mechanic would do this. When you install the belt, you make sure the all the marks line up. You then rotate the engine around again by hand to make sure they still line up. If they don’t it is very easy to correct at that stage.
What is your plan after you buy the car and find out it isn’t the belt?
Walk away now, or you’ll probably be sorry
And if you buy it anyways, and come back in a few weeks, complaining that it wasn’t the belt . . . don’t ask to cry on our shoulders
I would have no problem finding a Stratus without this type of mechanical defect without too much trouble. These cars have low resale value.
BTW I have a 1996 Stratus with 230,000 miles. I purchased the car is 2000 for $2400.