I appreciate the feedback, but I have been totally honest about the condition of the engine but everybody says that they would just throw a newer engine in it. Yet no one has jumped onboard to do it. Maybe they don't want the hassle, so I'm just going to take it to CarMax and I'm going to them I just need to get rid of it. I'm only asking $1000.00 for it, I'm not going any lower. I even thought about donating it to my favorite charity.

Like Bill Boost said, take it to another mechanic, they should be able to swap the engine for roughly $1500 and you'll have you ride back. Thats if you're sure that your tranny is good which at over 200k miles would be amazinig.

They recomended to change the tranny along with engine for $4500. I can get a newer engine for $700.00. I don't need the car, I bought a new Scion xB. I'm just trying to get fair market value for it and really don't want to put anymore money into it. I know the heavier oil won't fix the problem, but I was just trying to eleviate the clattering noise at normal operating temps, it doesn't make any noise when engine is cool. I had a prospect buyer and he said it didn't make any noise and was quite happy with it. I told him to wait and let it warm up until the fan turns on, sure enough, the noise was present.

Did you unplug the fans to make sure it wasn't them?

I see yout point, not worth puting $4500 into a car worth 4k in good running order; especially when you don't need or want it anymore; but your asking someone else to put that same money into a car they just paid $1000 for. Its definitely not worth it to them to invest $5500 into it. Realistically, imo, sell it for 5-6 hundred and be done with it. You could donate it for more but then you can only deduct it if you itemize and then it would only lower what you made. Your actuall tax will only change a little. Its like going from a taxable amount of 15k down to 13.5k which would get you less than $250 extra back.

The $4500 is the cost it would have cost me to replace the engine and tranny from my trusty mechanic. I can get a newer engine for $700, I wished I would have known that earlier about the $700 engine and then I would have probably would have kept the Bonneville. I was just trying to tell the potential new buyer that I knew a place where they could get an engine for that price along with the $1200 I wanted. So all total would be $900 for a decent car, not too bad in my opinion. It definitely is not the fan, because the noise gets faster when the accelerator is pressed.

Put it on Craigslist as "needs motor; $1500"

People will beg you to give it to them for $1000, and everyone will be happy.

Not one bite on Craigslist.