[mikefocke]

In the US a completely rebuilt engine with improved parts addressing all known issues can cost as much as 10 times the cost of a used engine. Or rebuilt engines can be somewhere in between but without the reputation of the more expensive ones and without as many issues addressed nor with as many improved parts.

A used engine costs about half the cost of a running car and that doesn't even include labor to remove and replace. So there is a wide variation.

What is the market there for the "roller" you have, with all its good parts that just doesn't have a workable engine? Selling to a mechanic who can invest his own labor to fix it might offset some of your costs for the replacement machine.

Supposing you get the used engine, then how many things are you going to want to do to improve the engine while it is out of the car? How many plastic parts will need to be replaced because they were brittle and cracked when they were separated from the engine? How about simple things like AOS, water pump, RMS/IMS etc.

A lot depends on local sources of both parts and the specialized labor to do any repair. Shop around.

By the way, do you completely understand why the mechanic made the diagnosis he did? (Yes '97s had those issues. Porsche had to replace a lot of engines but that program was probably ended 10 years ago.)

How much is sentiment worth? How much more are you willing to spend? I'm not sure anyone but you can answer those questions and you'll always have doubts if you should have or if you overspent or ....