How freaking cheap are used engines?

[KungFuPanda]

When I'm bored, I just look at car bits on Ebay.

My daily driver shed is a 2007 Mondeo 2.0 TDCI. Apart from service kits where you can get air, fuel and oil filters for £13 and front brake discs and pads for £43, you can get replacement engines with less than 100,000 for £199!!! Freaking bargain.

[Kawasicki]

I'm always amazed at this too. I suppose engines are so reliable there is just no demand. I once bought a used BMW engine, a 6 cylinder 3.5l, for 75 quid. When I took the cam cover off, it had a new cam. Put it in my car, it was perfect!

[Veeayt]

Try to find something decent though, and you'll be amazed by the opposite. AMG M113's, BMW S's - the lot

[jdwoodbury]

Before the days of eBay I bought a recon bottom bed for a Rover 220 Tomcat, that engine and the work to install was £2k. Which was the price of the car I bought 4 weeks previous!

[KungFuPanda]

I suppose more exotic engines would command a premium. Which is probably why I'm very protective over my 996 C4S. It's had a full engine rebuild by a specialist in Bolton with uprated internals. Even so, I only use it as a weekend toy to try not to add too many miles on it.

Anyway given the cheap service parts for my daily, I intend to keep it fully and regularly maintained but even if the engine goes, at least I know I can get another for decent money.

[BritishRacinGrin]

Where's the market for used engines? Engines don't really go wrong anymore- or at least, there are far more Mondeos in breakers yards than there are suffering premature engine failures. Also, how many people are prepared to risk a used engine when the lion's share of the cost is labour for fitting? Supply outstrips demand, therefore low prices. Of course in the old days engines were iron, weighed a ton, and when scrap ferrous is paying well they would've had an inherant material value.

[dowahdiddyman]

Agree a lot of engines are cheap secondhand, but try buying an engine for a vehicle with known problems, have you seen the price of one for a Navara!

[GTIR]

jdwoodbury said:

Before the days of eBay I bought a recon bottom bed for a Rover 220 Tomcat, that engine and the work to install was £2k. Which was the price of the car I bought 4 weeks previous!

Saw you coming x 2.

[bob1179]

jdwoodbury said:

Before the days of eBay I bought a recon bottom bed for a Rover 220 Tomcat, that engine and the work to install was £2k. Which was the price of the car I bought 4 weeks previous!

Oddly enough, I did exactly the same thing.

Though I think the car cost me around 4.5k.

I loved that car, though it cost me an absolute fortune!

[Rickyy]

Alfa JTS engines aren't cheap! Or at least they weren't when mine died!

Seem to remember Vauxhall CDTi engines being pricey too.

[900T-R]

BritishRacinGrin said:

. Also, how many people are prepared to risk a used engine when the lion's share of the cost is labour for fitting?

Bingo.

[powerstroke]

900T-R said:

BritishRacinGrin said:

. Also, how many people are prepared to risk a used engine when the lion's share of the cost is labour for fitting?

Bingo.

yes I've fitted a few oh yes mate its mint we drove it round the yard engines!!! , now I'm only going there if I can hear it run myself or buy a whole damaged car !!! Then it can be a very good buy ..

[confused_buyer]

Mondeo TDCi engines are cheap because there are loads of Mondeo TDCi's with failed high pressure pumps being broken.

[kambites]

Depreciation in the UK is so high and modern cars engines so rarely suffer catastrophic failures at a young age that the labour costs of fitting a new engine will usually be more than the car is worth. There's also an enormous supply of accident damaged, but mechanically sound vehicles out there so supply massively out-strips demand.

[900T-R]

kambites said:

Depreciation in the UK is so high and modern cars engines so rarely suffer catastrophic failures at a young age that the labour costs of fitting a new engine will usually be more than the car is worth.

And then you'd still be left with an unknown quantity. And kit car builds are expensive enough these days to warrant a recon or new engine.

[Hugo a Gogo]

there are a lot of stolen car parts on eBay, from all over Europe

[mywifeshusband]

Try buying an engine for a VW air cooled. That'll make your bottom very sore.
I pay less foe cars.

[cptsideways]

You can soon work out the ones with a demand


Try Renault van gearboxes as an example & Navara engines as mentioned above. I'm guessing 2.0 TDi VAG lumps of 95 vintage with the dodgy oil pumps command a premium.

[MG CHRIS]

Have a look for engines for mk1 mx5 due to them not going wrong ever, even if the timing belt breaks just a case of lining everything back up and putting a new belt on no damage caused.

I put the engine and box up for sale on ebay from the mk1 1.6 im breaking final price is £60 the 1.8 aren't much different too sold one last year for £102.

[seany87]

MG CHRIS said:

Have a look for engines for mk1 mx5 due to them not going wrong ever, even if the timing belt breaks just a case of lining everything back up and putting a new belt on no damage caused.

I put the engine and box up for sale on ebay from the mk1 1.6 im breaking final price is £60 the 1.8 aren't much different too sold one last year for £102.

I have gone from an MX5 without a care in the world if the engine blew to a Civic Type R with the K20a engine.. Now those engines aren't cheap! Always sought after thanks to knuckledraggers running them low on oil or people using them for engine swaps.

My Girlfriends Daihatsu Copen has a small turbo that is like rocking horse st, practically impossible to find one second hand and people usually have to import a new one from Japan for pretty much near a grand. I have beat it into her to cool the turbo before she switches the engine off and I am right on top of the 3000 mile oil change interval. I do not want to pay that for just a turbo.