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Probably the most active forum for Ampera owners is here:
www.speakev.com/categories/general-motors-ev-forum.../
From memory the petrol engine is the same 1.4 4-cylinder that's used in millions of Corsas etc worldwide, so as you were told, that bit is easy. They have hydraulic tappets etc. so servicing is just oil&filter once a year. Coil packs are a weak spot, as are the water pumps but apart from that, they are a strong motor.
Also, don't forget that the Ampera was sold in the US as well as Europe with a very long warranty (I think the battery had 8 years / 100K miles) and they have a reputation for being reliable.
However, the problem with ANY plug-in hybrid (and I say this as an owner of one) is this: If anything goes wrong with the charging system, the high-voltage battery, the traction motor/s, or the transmission that couples the petrol and electric motors together, it will NOT, I repeat, NOT, be a cheap or easy fix.
The vast majority of dealers do not have a clue how to fix problems on hybrids because of their complexity. I have a BMW 225, and in the (rare) cases on the owners' forums when anything has gone wrong, the car will be at the main dealers for weeks while they wait for specialist advice from the factory.
Personally - and again, as the owner of a hybrid - I would not buy one myself unless it was brand-new with a full manufacturer warranty, so there would be minimum quibbling if anything went wrong. Buying any used car is risky, but buying a used hybrid that was withdrawn from sale a few years back is like playing Russian roulette with two bullets in the gun. Do you feel lucky?
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