Because not everyone has 25K+ USD laying around to shell out on a car, not to mention about 5-6K after that for mods.

 

Right. Because a turbocharged brz will be reliable. If I want a finicky project car, I sure as hell wouldn't want it to be a 25k new car.

 

You've read forum posts. I've actually owned a car with an engine taken from another car and put into my chassis. Have you? I didn't think so. My personal experience trumps your internet any way you slice it.

Don't be a fool. Listen to people who have gone that route and know from FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE what you only think you know from what you've read on the internet.

Own a car with an engine swap before making ignorant statements. Own a car that is twenty years old before telling people who have that they are ignorant.

Newsflash: A BMW is not a Honda,and an E30 is not a Civic. A Civic is a POS made with cheap parts, a pile of trash just waiting for the garbageman. I've owned a Civc, so unmlike you I'm not just blowing smoke. Even a late '80s-early '90s BMW is made from better, more expensive parts. Stop trying to equate a POS Civic to a BMW. The comparison just makes you stupid.

You can't get parts "from any junkyard" because most junkyards aren't full of old 3-series BMWs. And even if they were, they wouldn't be full of the M parts you're going to need.

Good luck with your engine-swapped BMW. Hope you have a bus pass.

 

I've already spoken to around 15 people who have S50/S52's swapped into their E30's and have FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE living with, driving, and maintaining these engines, including pretty much the best E30 shop in my part of California. They all contradict what you've said. Yes, I've spoken to them in real life, and over the phone! Not just on forums. Also met some locals who had this done.

And you're seriously, almost unbelievably dense: in terms of complexity and reliability, an E30 is basically a RWD German Honda. Do you have trouble reading? I think you do.

And yes, junkyards ARE full of old E30's. Pretty much any junkyard has them in there. Have you ever actually even been in one? And how the f@#k am I going to need M parts? Do you even know what an S50 is? It's just an M50 stroked up to 3.0L, LOL. I can take any parts that fit an M50 and they'll work on an S50. People even turn their M50/M52's into S50/S52 hybrids just by swapping cams etc. FAIL.

Everything in your post is WRONG. You are IGNORANT. You don't know anything about E30's, the engine that'll be swapped in, or anything above. You're arguing based on your own IGNORANCE. You'd be torn apart on R3Vlimited or any other E30 specialized forum because you're full of shit. Why do you even bother posting in this thread if you're going to spout ignorant crap? Grow up, you don't know everything and you're WRONG. I don't give a damn if you've owned swapped cars before, your idiotic generalizations are laughable. LOL @ your personal, anecdotal experience of SWAPPING A DIFFERENT ENGINE INTO A DIFFERENT CAR trumping my experience. Your illogical reasoning is borderline retarded.

Just go away before you embarrass yourself further.

 

I've owned one too and I think that's a rather unfair statement. Mine was completely stock and it was a hoot to drive around in and gave me no issues. I've moved on but I would recommend it to anyone that wants a fun commuter or a cheap track car.

Getting back on track, I think a normal E36 M3 would probably be more fun than an E30 swapped car. You get the same thrill without the added potential of immediate and not-so-immediate complications. Also, what's wrong with keeping the engine in the car it came in?

 

I've already spoken to around 15 people who have S50/S52's swapped into their E30's and have FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE living with, driving, and maintaining these engines, including pretty much the best E30 shop in my part of California. They all contradict what you've said. Yes, I've spoken to them in real life, and over the phone! Not just on forums. Also met some locals who had this done.

And you're seriously, almost unbelievably dense: in terms of complexity and reliability, an E30 is basically a RWD German Honda. Do you have trouble reading? I think you do.

And yes, junkyards ARE full of old E30's. Pretty much any junkyard has them in there. Have you ever actually even been in one? And how the f@#k am I going to need M parts? Do you even know what an S50 is? It's just an M50 stroked up to 3.0L, LOL. I can take any parts that fit an M50 and they'll work on an S50. People even turn their M50/M52's into S50/S52 hybrids just by swapping cams etc. FAIL.

Everything in your post is WRONG. You are IGNORANT. You don't know anything about E30's, the engine that'll be swapped in, or anything above. You're arguing based on your own IGNORANCE. You'd be torn apart on R3Vlimited or any other E30 specialized forum because you're full of shit. Why do you even bother posting in this thread if you're going to spout ignorant crap? Grow up, you don't know everything and you're WRONG. I don't give a damn if you've owned swapped cars before, your idiotic generalizations are laughable. LOL @ your personal, anecdotal experience of SWAPPING A DIFFERENT ENGINE INTO A DIFFERENT CAR trumping my experience. Your illogical reasoning is borderline retarded.

Just go away before you embarrass yourself further.
[/quote]

You ever owned a car that was twenty years old?

You ever done an engine swap before?

You ever been in a junkyard?

Ever owned a BMW?

I didn't think so.

 

I came here for the pretty pictures of the S5x turbo and found this...

One of you has some mechanical experience of debatable degree. The other has gathered knowledge from the internet, much of which is probably true but some of it also surely false. Neither of you appears to have much first-hand experience with the e30 chassis, why are you even arguing about it?

ib4tl

FWIW - I've encountered multiple swapped e30s. Not a single one of them started and ran perfectly the first time. That said, they all had their issues work out (usually tach/speed sensor related) and were running strongly when I met their owners (usually at car meets/autox).

The e30 is a tremendously hardy car. My e30 sat for over 6 years without a single start, and when I picked it up, it started right up (though with a fuel-pump related miss). They can also take tremendous amounts of active abuse without failing. I can think of very few 20+ yr old motors that can make 400+ whp without a rebuild and just head studs and a head gasket swap.

The reason to swap an M5x/S5x into an e30 is for the new engine/power-per-$ ratio. The 24v motors make more power than the M20 with the same mods. Period. That said, they're not always the simplest option - why deal with turbo AND swap issues when just one or the other will serve your purposes?

Qualifications:

I've owned 2 cars 20+ years old - a 1968 Beetle and a 1987 BMW 325iS (current)
I'm weighing my options between boost and an engine swap.
I've been to many junkyards, and I'm sure I'll be to more before my project is complete.
I currently own an e30.

 

At the risk of being argumentative, it's funny that you say that about mom type consumers, yet enthusiasts always look for that older woman owned cars when they're in the used market, and despite how much stealership hatred there is, we find it as an added bonus to have a maitenance book stamped completely with dealer stamps (granted it could be a local independent guy too).
In any rate, if you believe that a 20 year old with a 20 year old engine will be as solid as a 2012 corolla, then all the power to you. FWIW I had a 240sx with an sr swap, and have a number of friends with swapped hondas and such, older cars generally require money to keep running, older project swapped cars usually more so. But do the swap, and truly DD it, and do the weekend warrior thing, and really do keep tabs on how many autozone/junk yard/BMW parts dept run you do, or how many times you need to ask a question on a forum. My sr 240 never left me stranded, but I can count how many times I had to get something other than oil/filters for my new civic si that replaced it... 0. My 240, well it needed a fuel pump, injectors were going, plugs wouldve been nice, starter, one of the ignitors were going bad, a filter, a mafs, the new owner said it needed after about a year a turbo (something your car wont need obviously), bushings were going bad, etc etc. Btw, would you buy an E36 M3 with 100K on it and expect it to be reliable? I ask because that's the typical engine you will encounter. Will you be doing the head gasket? Major tune up? Belts? Will you have working ac, will all the accessories be new? While I'm with you in that the actual engine and trans will be stout, it's usually not that stuff that's the issue. And replacing those parts with parts from pick and pull doesn't always work out, but necessary if you're either strapped for cash or don't drive it that often, otherwise new parts are better. And new+BMW= headaches.
But I can tell you're more forgiving by nature, and alot of us were there, which I think is the reason why nuncro jumped to the conclusion you were young, and he was right. For alot of us, we either moved on or kept it as a second car, not as our one and only car.

 

Yup.. this is precisely the reason why I (and many other people) prefer newer cars. I'd love an e36 m3 as a second car, but the fact that the cars are going to be getting close to 15 yrs old, means inevitable little crap going wrong regularly, which ultimately means highers costs and more time tinkering. Also, as the car gets older, new replacement parts actually get to be more expensive as they're less in demand. You end up paying a premium to keep an older car on the road. ~10yrs ago I'd be saying the same thing as the OP, but these days there's simply not the time for it or the desire. To each his own. Nunco I think was looking at the definition of reliable in his eyes (it's relative after all), and I agree with him.

Good luck on your e30 project.

 

I agree with everyone here... LOL, on both sides of the coin.

I'm getting an E30 with M20 motor in it (and no plans for a swap initially). It will be my DD AND my project car AND my learning car. I EXPECT it to break and sit on jack stands every now and then while i figure out what to do with it and how to do it.

It's pure nostalgia, enthusiast, and enjoyment driving here. The S2000 will still be the main track car and the rotating DD and reliable go to car for me.

And, I would rather buy an E30 for $3k and put another $6-7K in it over the course of 3 years to make it a reliable DD than buy a 2010 corolla with 12K miles for $11K... that's the impractical enthusiast and nostalgia in me speaking. I'm paying for enjoyment and satisfaction here because it adds to my quality of life.


@ Disgustipated - this is a Honda S2000 forum, stop biting the troll bait. r3vlimited and e30tech will be much more receptive. Additionally, they'll flame you just as much or harder if you talk about your S2000
Goodluck with all of it. I'm rooting for you. Post up pics of it when you do get it.