The things you describe don't sound too serious to me! The machine not picking up the bobbin thread could be as simple as having the wrong needle or bobbin..(you don't know what previous owner did?)...if the needle is too short for the machine it will never pick up the bobbin thread. I would start with that. Get the manual and make sure you have correct needle and bobbin, and that everything is lint free, clean, and above all threaded properly.
If that doesn't fix it, it may be timing....which is quite easy to do on those machines if you or someone you know know has basic machine sense.
I wouldn't worry too much about the bobbin winder just yet..get it to pick up bobbin thread and see how it sews, then you can take it from there.
Don't panic, just take this step by step and you will most likely get it running. Good Luck! Donna