Is it a waste to buy a car with a bad motor?

Question

if the car is cheap say 400-500 would it be a waste to get a bad motor? how much is a bad motor?

Answer 1

It seems to me you are buying something objective........without a good motor it's not really a car yet , is it ? The difficulty here is installing a motor in an older car...there is now way of knowing (unless it's a re-built and that's expensive) if the motor requires work also  ..whereas with a car one can test drive it !

Some good advice...shop around...get a car with a motor , seats, a steering wheel.....a complete vehicle ...a safer investment !

Answer 2

you make no sense.

Now if your going to replace the motor. Yes, it is worth it.

You can find pick and pull motors for 100$

Answer 3

Would you buy a house without an electrical system? Same idea. If you're capable of doing the work yourself, which it doesn't sound as though you are, then maybe. If you have to pay someone, figure on $3,000 to $4000 for a good engine and the installation. At that price the car no longer is a good buy. The person who said $100 for the engine is smoking some bad weed. You can't even buy one in need of an overhaul for that.

Answer 4

Usually.  It depends on why the engine is bad -- and what it would cost to fix it.

Answer 5

I don't know what it would cost to replace the engine on a '93 Lexus, but is =the rest of the car is in reasonable shape I might go for it.

Realize that you have a very good bargaining chip. Offer the guy a bit less than half of what he's asking. Not too many people would buy a car with a known bad engine.  There is a lot of other stuff in a car that can cost a lot besides the engine. How do you know the transmission is ok? The suspension? Brakes? Does everything else work? How are the tires?

What does a '93 Lexus es300 sell for in your area? Will you end up spending more than that when you're done?

Weigh it all and decide for yourself.

Good luck.  

Answer 6

Depends on the car.I sometimes buy them with no motor or transmission.

Answer 7

I would only buy it if I had plans to replace the motor.and the body was in mint condition. why would you throw 500 bucks away

Answer 8

That really depends on what kind of car it is, what condition it is in other than the bad motor, and what kind of access you have to the resources to fix it.

For a good late-model car that will be very reliable and is in good shape, it is possible for you to get a car and a motor for much less than you would pay for a working car.  Having the equipment and skills to replace the engine yourself would let you save even more.  

A replacement engine can run from a few hundred dollars for a rebuilt or "scrap" motor to a few thousand for a brand new replacement.  Either one could last you the lifetime of the car with proper maintenance.

Answer 9

Need some more info...what year, make, model, motor...etc.

Don't waste your money on that car unless the body is absolutely brand new...those motors are hard to find in good condition and they are extremely expensive...not only for the motor but the installation too...i would say 3000-4000 for that motor job done right with a low mileage and well serviced used motor...we have a couple customers with the 300 motors in there cars and they can be expensive.

Answer 10

Yes, it would be a waste to buy a Lexus with bad motor. Call around at all the major junk yards in your area and ask them to run a motor through their computor to see if anyone else may have a used engine. If you were to buy a new or re-manufactured motor from Toyota I guarantee you'll have heart failure. If you happen to find a motor first then steal the car for little or nothing go for it if you plan to change the motor out yourself. If you plan to hire it done you'd be beating your head against the wall.  

Answer 11

If you are asking this question--you probably aren't mechanically inclined which means you will be paying more in mechanics bills than the car is worth.  so yes it would be a waste.