Do gas engine's have any value?

[bottleworks]

I'm looking at an old rabbit parts car. It's got a gas engine. I couldn't care less about a gasser engines. Is there resell demand for the gas engines, or are they just scrap?

[82vdub]

While I'm not specifically knowledgable about VW gas engine prices, everything has a value. I would suspect that for this old of a vehicle, most old VW owners are enthusiasts, so the engine will have more value to someone that's in the know, than someone that isn't. If you're going to sell the engine, it may be hit or miss on what someone will give you for it. Somedays you can't seem to give it away for $50, but then at the right time, you'll find someone that will pay you a mint for it. I've tried to sell items on ebay for cheap, get no bids, so later I reload the auction with a higher starting amount, and people bid on it. Go figure.

If it were me, and if the engine runs, I would try to sell the engine as it's still in the vehicle before you take it out. That way the buyer will be willing to pay more for it then for an engine sitting on the garage floor. How many times has someone bought a "running" engine from someone, only to find out it's not in that great of shape. If this particular vehicle has the working fuel injection system on it, I would think that (again, to the right person), that would add a fair amount of value to the engine. None of that equipment would be useful to you if you convert it to diesel anyways. In the end, it is ultimately worth what someone is willing to pay for it. That, unfortunately, differes at different times and to each individual.