Out here in California I see 616 and 617 engines in the yards all the time, but I just assume that if it's in the yard, the engine is shot. A buddy of mine ran out of oil and his engine seized, I saw his 240D at the pick and pull two weeks later. I should have pulled the manual tranny and sold it on ebay.
My 240D is my daily driver, so I don't have the time to try engines out every couple of weeks. Does anyone know how much a remote starter costs and how easy they are to operate?