What Should I be Paying?

[Slovik]

I have been looking for an S52 for while now. I have come up with a couple in the Charlotte area with reasonable mileage and assurances that they have been tested. One has about 75K on it w/ all accessories for $3250 asking price. As I am going OBD I for simplicity I don't need the OBD II ecu or the wire harness but they are included. What do you guys think I should paying. Also looking for an e46 6 speed, I see the from $1500 for crap to $3000. If anyone has a good deal in the South East I am willing to take a road trip for the right equipment and price.

Thanks,

Seth

[samiam3356]

check Atlanta Cl. They usually show up around 2k some even with a zf tranny of which you could resell to someone like me to offset your 6speed. ;) Good luck

[Slovik]

Thanks, I have been keeping an eye on Atlanta Craigs List also. There is a 50K complete motor there for $3,000. Strictly German and Ken Baker Originals also have motors in this general price range, hard to know who to trust and what is a fair price.

Seth

[328ijunkie]

Stay away from strictly german!

[matt]

Stay away from strictly german!

What makes you say that, Dave? I've been dealing with them for years. Never the best price, but I've never had a bad experience.

[JRKOUPE]

zf

check Atlanta Cl. They usually show up around 2k some even with a zf tranny of which you could resell to someone like me to offset your 6speed. ;) Good luck

I did a 24v swap late in 2010..1995 s50 w/ 5 spd ZF,.. but I used my g260.

...e/pm me if you need a zf 5 spd... 93k miles on on it.....Im in NY....Id ship it if need be.

[slammin.e28]

What should you be paying?

What's it worth to you?

[flyboyx]

somewhere in the low to mid 2k range would be a reasonable price for a less than 100k engine. 600 or less for a zf 320. i don't know about the 6 speed but 3 grand sounds stupid high to me. i would think half that for a good one. you can buy a lot of gas for the fuel savings of an overdrive at those prices. if you are just planning to run the car on the street or use it for your commute, stick with the getrag i would say.

also, if you can get your hands on a complete engine with ecu and uncut harness, i would suggest sticking with obd2. that will save you up to 500.00 if you have to source obd1 parts at the typical junkyard price.

getting back to the question at hand, yes, i do think those prices are a rip off. if you have the money to throw around and are short on time, then buy it. if you are cost conscious like 97% of us that screw around with these cars then take your time and look around. check local junk yards too. look for someone with a complete m3 or mz3 that is wrecked. find a friend with a dealer's license, watch the insurance salvage sales, pay him a couple hundred bucks to take you one afternoon after you have done your research and find a sale with a car you are interested in. you should be able to pick up a complete wrecked car at a sale for 1500.00 or less. certainly less than 2k. if you do indeed get your hands on a complete car, you can sell off what you don't use and recoupe most if not all your costs. a side benefit is that you will have all the little parts you need and won't have to go to the dealer every time you need some stupid little screw.

that, my friend is me speaking from experience. consider it advice you can take to the bank.

[sharky]

I can ship you a S52 with 147K, great compression etc w/ all accesories, harness, sensors etc for around $2300

[Slovik]

Thanks Guys that's just the kind of information I was looking for, I will be scouring the junk yards and insurance companies along with online ads. I was thinking that motor w/75K on it was worth closer to $,2500 than to $3,250.

Seth