1996 S500 Head Gasket

[nuthead]

I ran across a 1996 S500 on Craigslist today at an unbelievable price, Im no mechanic so how much would one expect to pay a neighborhood mechanic(not the MBZ dealer) to replace the head gasket and what other things would one expect to have to repair along the way? heres the link if anybody is near Tampa bay and interested because Im not sure I have the resources to pull this one off.....http://tampa.craigslist.org/car/734435565.html


Thx
Richard

[suginami]

Do you know if the headgasket is bad?

Head gasket replacements on M119 V8's are virtually unheard of.

[deanyel]

Richard, your question is a bit vague but intrepid as I am I'll say somewhere between $75 and $15,000 depending on miles, condition, past maintenance, driving habits and further definition of "along the way". Those cars are not known for having head gasket problems.

[nuthead]

I ran across this car on Craigslistm 1996 S500 $1000. Obviously something had to be wrong. I called the dealer and was told the head gasket was bad and the car would not start. Im not trying to be nebulous, Im not a mechanic and have not as yet gone any further in the attempt to purchase the car. Im in GA and the car is in FL so the logistics would be tough thata why I came to the forum to see if its worth pursuing
as above here is the link if any of you can do something with it

http://tampa.craigslist.org/car/734435565.html

[deanyel]

Bad headgasket on that car is likely an overheating situation, and likely deeper problems. 119 motors are far less likely than 104 motors to have head gasket issues in normal operation. Seems like a very risky proposition especially from a distance.