Oh to the joy of buying a Bike.....

[Bigboy]

The front brake sounds like the pads are worn mine jammed on like that when i took it out a few weeks ago, they had just worn and needed adjusting so they clamped onto the rim not the tyre. Bikes can be a pain in the backside when you want them perfect and even though i build trucks for a living and worked in engineering all my life i struggled at first with my sons bikes but now enjoy setting them up, it just takes a bit of practice and a lot of time and patience to learn.
I cant see anywhere what bike it is but if the frame and wheels are ok you still might have got yourself a bargain, get the cables and bits and pieces and set a full day aside to attempt it, you may even surprise yourself.

 

[wooly wheels]

Sorry to here that Tango.

To make you feel better my lad brought home a Mongoose Expert Pro () last week that a "friend" had sold him for £80. It had:-

Hand painted cream frame.
Hand painted blue forks.
Hand painted green bars.
No front brake.
Rear brake with worn pads.
Shot bearings front and rear.
Bald tyres with holes near rims.
Hand painted black wheels, shot.

He'd saved up his paper round money for it

At least no one will steal it!!