I just blew the head gasket on my 1998 3.2L v6DOHC Rodeo. Very disappointing. Drove it to the dealer and ended up having it towed home. Dealer offered to replace my engine with a used one for $3500 (57K mile engine for $2300) or rebuild it for about $5000 total.
I got a quote to rebuild it locally in Orlando at
National Cylinder Head Exchange and it came out to $3884 plus labor to pull and reinstall for a total of about $5000.
KBB value is only about $4300 fair. Not worth fixing, especially since I found almost the same truck on eBay for $3750.
Rest of car is decent. Leather, sunroof, tow package, power eveything. Rodeo has 123K miles.
Found a bunch of engines from $1200 - $2000 at
car-part.com but I'm still over a barrel on labor. Any mechanics out there interested in a fixer-upper? New tires and brake pads and shoes at least.
It may not be as bad as they say, but I can't get it anywhere for a second opinion.
Are there any house call mechanics around Orlando?