I am looking at a 2003 s60 with no compression on cylinder 3. Black in good shape 155000 mi.It is a 2.4 Turbo Not afraid of doing a valve job myself

 

Around me that car, with no mechanical issues, goes for $3,500, maybe $4,000 if it's really nice. So take that minus the cost of the valve job at a reputable indy then deduct another $500 for taking a car with issues off his hands and use that as your max, but offer much less. Keep in mind you really should have the head checked while you have it off to make sure it isn't warped or cracked.

JMO YMMV

 

did you do wet/dry compression tests? I agree with PK's assessment provided you're confident its a burnt valve and not a ring problem. Also you can price out a replacement used head via car-parts.com

 

I recently purchased my 2004 S60, 166K miles with issues and did what pkrface suggests except for the extra $500, but the issues were not engine related. Will finish the repairs this weekend, well under expected costs making it a super deal for me.


A burnt valve which you repair and no other issues could make it the deal of the day.