I'm in agreement with Windex, remote repair via phone or what ever device never works and is a recipe for big dollar outlay.
My preference in situations like this is to get the sale finalized with the owner and get them out of the picture. With the engine in this condition I'm sure a new price needs to be negotiated.
Next you want to have someone transport the car to you so that repairs can be made rationally without the influence of being away from home etc. The tourist repair shops can take thousands and they don't care.
If you don't own the car yet then the PO might make decisions about how to repair that you don't agree with, don't let that happen.
If you really feel like you need to have it repaired en route then you need to find someone who will baby sit the car at the repair place and watch to make sure that things are done right, or will essentially adopt the car during the repairs and have their personal mechanics fix it.
My .02, and good luck. Sorry to hear about this situation.
Steve
I agree 100%. We took this advice and got the car shipped using U-ship for $1000 (at the owners expense)
Once the car was in BC, we took it to a friends shop (with a hoist).
After pulling the engine and inspecting the damage, we decided the best course of action was to put in a used motor.
We (myself, the owner(he drove here to deal with the mess), and the shop owner) cleaned it up, installed a colt cam, did BSM delete, TB kit, and resealed it.
We had to use the old harness because it was wired for the swap.
I paid for all the parts and labour, which totaled $5100. I then paid the balance of the purchase price, $4900.
So I still paid the full $10K for the car, but got to oversee all the work and do a lot of it myself, the way I wanted it done.
Considerably more peace of mind..
In the end it took two weeks to deal with.
Out of province vehicle inspection was done, and I've registered and insured it as of last week.
It was an ordeal.
I was generous about it, as the situation was an inconvenience for everyone.
My wife now refers to it as the "unicorn fiasco".
The car is pretty great.
Was it worth the fiasco? Jury still out on that one. Was a pretty major interruption in my life...
