That high feature, GM 3.6 liter would make for a tasty swap. All kinds of great tranny possibility there too. You'd be way over your 5 grand estimate,and you'd need to be a tad creative... and I just don't hear any sort of "thrill of the hunt" in your voice. I haven't seen the body damage, but it sounded light. Don't know the overall condition either, but you may have the dismal reality of about a 3000-3500 dollar roller on your hands. Score yourself a really good beater...say a two door, no A/C, automatic,Tercel... or Sentra ( this way you will abhor driving the little ****box, and you won't lose focus Buy a nice car, and you'll never finish the project, and the VX will moulder under a tarp, in the side yard for years...a home for mice and bandicoots... a target for 11 year olds BB guns... till you pay to have it pulled away.)and save enough to get it back on the road. Parting it will be a long process, and again, you're only gonna get a few bucks for the seats and such, initally, then you have a stripped out shell on your hands. Fix it! Buy a "reman" take your time, pick your way through it, and do it yourself. Oh, and enjoy your 1988 Mercury Tracer in the meantime. Wayne