The not starting could be something as simple as an engine sensor. I say that because I suddenly lost all the coolant in my 2.7 one time (radiator side tank suddenly split open) and it overheated to the point that when I got to my destination and cut the engine off, when I tried to restart it a few minutes later. it wouldn't start. (I didn't know it had lost it's coolant and that it was overheating because the temp. gauge didn't read hot because there was no coolant circulating to the temp. sensor.) When it wouldn't start, I opened the hood to check things and saw the split in the radiator side tank and realized then what had happened. I thought sure the engine was toast. However, when I came back about an hour later with some water and tools to try some things, I tried one more time to start it, and it fired right up and ran perfectly as if nothing had happened! Drove it for several more years with no ill effects from the episode! The only theories I could come up with to explain the not starting but starting once it cooled off was either vapor lock or a sensor (maybe cam position sensor?) that got too hot to work but wasn't permanently damaged.
I know you don't feel motivated to work on it, but I said all that to give you some hope that the engine could be fine - just maybe a bad sensor or wire that could have gotten fried during the overheating. It might be worth an hour or so of checking some things to get it running to make it easier to sell.
