That sucks....have seen pistons dinged by valves and survive. First cracked piston in a 3.5 that I can recall. 3.5's can be found in yards but are usually pricy...How is the rest of the car? maybe a transplant, part out, or sell as is. There are some folks (like me) crazy enough to keep these M's on the road.

 

I'm thinking of trying to do a rebuild, but only if my boys agree to do some of the work. I went ahead and bought my wife a nice 2013 Buick Lacrosse with a 3.6L V6, so the Concorde is parked until we decide what to do with it. It was a really good car and everything worked on it. The A/C was one of the best I've ever owned - it would freeze you out of there.

The only issues we really had with that car were electrical demons, but they were all due to battery connections or grounds. Every time I had a problem I would clean up the battery and cable connections and she would work like new. When I finally replaced the battery I discovered the old one had a small leak in the positive post, and that was causing the red cable connector to corrode.

The water pump job was the only one I didn't have time to mess with because I was busy at work, and so I hired it out. That was a big mistake.

 

Yard engine may be a less expensive option. Once you tear the engine apart and start pricing all the parts may get $$$$$
http://300mclub.org/forums/viewtopic...engine+removal