Thanks for the input guys.

I just spoke to the person selling the 300E, and an offer is on the table for $1,000. The body has some rust, and the transmission is currently in need of a new 2nd-gear synchro, but aside from that the car is wholly in-tact. I think it's worth the $1,000 (plus $600 or so in shipping from what he told me from New York to Texas) for the transmission and such, and the ability to part out the rest of the car (I'm sure I could find lots of little bits I could use myself). I'm also tempted to pick this vehicle up so I can use its engine as an experimental rebuild before I do mine... Or, if this one proves to be in good shape, simply use it as a future replacement (or build it up for the planned turbo project I have in mind). Think $1,000 for an '86 5-speed is a good deal? The only reason he's letting it go so cheap is because he wants to make sure it goes to an enthusiast who appreciates the 300E's... It's also currently somewhat in pieces since he bought it as a project but ran out of time for it, which helps keep the price down.

So bottom line... Think I should do it? Even if the rest of the car ends up being complete junk, I think it'd be worth it just due to the parts resource (everything aside from the synchro is mechanically sound).