Originally Posted By: madRiver
A replaced engine adds no value to a vehicle despite what the poor sap who paid for it thinks. So make sure you pay for mileage on odometer not that 30k engine.
2005 is good because if sensor or item not correctly installed the Check engine is on. Make sure it illuminates when in on position but motor not running.
My Subaru had major engine work due to valve burning requiring engine removal. Not a single issue but mechanic is Subie expert. He said it started first attempt no lights after the install.
^ This.
An engine replacement is really no different from other wear items ... shocks, brake rotors, even transmissions. It adds zero value to the vehicle, but is often a positive feature, just like any recent maintenance and parts replacement would be.
Even backyard mechanics rarely replace an engine with one that does not have fewer miles than the original ... there is no difference in cost to him to get a low mileage donor from the wrecker, and obviously a new or rebuilt motor is a new or rebuilt motor.
The vast majority of wrecker donor vehicles were write-off collision vehicles with mileage typical of a road-going example of the same vintage (up to perhaps ten years old) and although very old vehicles would not always fall under that category, their numbers are numerous enough that low mileage examples are always available, as the wrecker business is essentially nation-wide when it comes to parts sourcing.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy a used car with a replacement engine or transmission, and I've done the swap to two of my current vehicles. The Miata had a motor and transmission swap with 40,000 km [25,000 miles] performed, and the RAM had a transmission with 60,000 km [37,000 miles] installed. Both have papers but it's not something I would make a big deal over.
I do keep a binder with full documentation of my vehicles that go with the unit when sold. The invoices / etc for the junkyard replacements are in there, but so is a lot of other stuff.
WRT the poster who asked (reasonably) "why was the engine replaced?". The MIata, with 285,000 km had a slightly larger motor and performance upgrades installed (the old motor was still going strong, I just got tired of staring at my pallet with motor and transmission, waiting for the original to fail) while the truck fell to the rather well known RAM transmission early failures, due to the previous owner not using proper ATF +4 and failing to use the O/D OFF button when hauling or towing a load.
