For these older MTH engines - I evaluate them based on price - and assume I probably have to do a bit of cleanup/triage.
A lot of folks are familiar with the pitfalls of these older locos - but some aren't...(buyer and seller)
Seems like the late 1990s Purple boxes are starting to show up more frequently on eBay - and not bringing much.
My last two Purple box loco purchases were about 100 each...
I think the hoarding effect from the 1990s generation of collectors is starting to hit the market...pushing PW/MPC even further down the value line.