Noob question about buying a S50 Swapped car

[jsdc]

Hello r3v!

I've been trolling around for a couple months looking for my first e30 to use as a part time daily and fun weekend ride. Big power wasn't really something I was looking for or overly concerned about, but I came across a really clean 4door that happened to have a S50B30 swap with 5-speed ZF manual.

What really attracted me to the car was how clean it looked, crack free dash, no rust, ac works etc. The engine swap was something I hadn't really considered or been looking for.

I've never really worked on cars (besides oil changes, brakes) and I don't have a space to work on a car even if I could (against condo rules) which means I'd have to have all maintenance/repairs done at a shop. So my question is, should I be concerned about shops not wanting to or being able to do maintenance and repairs on the car because of the swap? Do you think have to be a diy mechanic to own an engine swapped car? If so maybe I should pass and just keep on looking.

Also does the extra weight up front change the essence of the e30 handling/driving experience?

Thanks for info!

[JRKOUPE]

I didn't look at your pics.......
that being said:

a well done swap has no issues that any good bmw tech needs to be worried about.....its rather simple overall.........

s50/52 engine, some custom exhaust work,......don't be scared...

I know so many shops that work on swapped cars.... you can find several as well. But I know techs who wont touch non oe set ups as well..

The essence of the e30 handling will not be changed

[jsdc]

Thanks for the info and encouragement JRKOUPE! I called around and found a few local shops that aren't afraid of a swapped car. I'm gonna have the the potential buy checked out thoroughly by a knowledgeable shop to make sure the swap was done right. Then hopefully will be going for it!

[kronus]

the best evidence of a swap being done right is # of miles driven on the new engine. can you get that info from the PO?

[BMW_TUNER]

Not sure about where the dme is. I can not see exposed witing in the pic which I am not a huge fan of.

[exhaust]

Not sure about where the dme is. I can not see exposed witing in the pic which I am not a huge fan of.

That's a good point. There are certain things that are just red flags. Like if you're spending $2k< on a swap, why you don't cover up exposed wiring?

OP, if you're new at this whole thing than I highly recommend getting it checked out by a tech before buying it. Swaps can get messy because you could be tracking down little bugs for a long time if something was setup right initially

[jsdc]

Thanks for the info everyone! I'm getting it checked out by an independent shop that knows e30s and has done swaps before. I told the owner to treat it like he was buying it for himself, even if it cost a little more.