What's the best way to get an N52 -- Donor car, salvage yard?

[FredK]

In my area, it seems an N52 with reasonable mileage goes for around $1200 - 1500 (or more). Does it make sense to get a donor car? And does it matter if its AWD or RWD? I recently saw a damaged X3 3.0 for $2K that could probably be parted out to defray some of the cost of the engine, but then again, who's out there buying X3 parts trying to keep it running?

Is it better to try to find a 328? Or is it better to roll the dice with car-part and potentially run into issues with no accessories, hardware, or a damaged/missing wiring harness?

[MrBurgundy]

lkqonline garunteed

[hoveringuy]

The ideal car would be a Z4, that way you already have the correct mounts and a manual transmission. Next would be a 328 or 330, with a manual transmission. The difference being that the 328 has the lighter duty GS6-17 and the 330 would have the slightly beefier GS6-37. There's really not too much that a donor car is going to help, not like you can use driveshaft, exhaust.

I would definitely prefer getting the engine and transmission as an assembly; mine came that way and I never even separated it. The dual-mass flywheel is just fine.

Other than that, the N52 rotating assemblies are all the same. Some have the integrated oil cooler, some have better intakes. The later versions with the plastic intake covers instead of the magnesium covers have some technical upgrades but most importantly have oil separation and breathing inside the valve cover which gets rid of the external cyclone and drainback nonsense.

Modern BMWs have the ECU in the cowl area now so they have harnesses that are slightly short to reach the glove box area like we're used to. You will probably be splicing multiple harnesses together anyway, so, again, car doesn't matter that much.

[projectJTv4]

Sounds like we're in the same area and similar situation. If you have the time and space to try to part out a donor car to recoup / fund the project, it may be worth it. But I am limited on space and would prefer to just get the parts I need and not worry about the rest.

Most of the local shops I've been able to contact around me have also quoted $1200... engine only.

If you have enough time and experience, you should be able to find many N52's available to pull. Locally, at LKQ, I know I have seen many.



LKQonline would be $1306 delivered to my door.

[DEV0 E30]

The ideal car would be a Z4, that way you already have the correct mounts and a manual transmission. Next would be a 328 or 330, with a manual transmission. The difference being that the 328 has the lighter duty GS6-17 and the 330 would have the slightly beefier GS6-37. There's really not too much that a donor car is going to help, not like you can use driveshaft, exhaust.

I would definitely prefer getting the engine and transmission as an assembly; mine came that way and I never even separated it. The dual-mass flywheel is just fine.

Other than that, the N52 rotating assemblies are all the same. Some have the integrated oil cooler, some have better intakes. The later versions with the plastic intake covers instead of the magnesium covers have some technical upgrades but most importantly have oil separation and breathing inside the valve cover which gets rid of the external cyclone and drainback nonsense.

Modern BMWs have the ECU in the cowl area now so they have harnesses that are slightly short to reach the glove box area like we're used to. You will probably be splicing multiple harnesses together anyway, so, again, car doesn't matter that much.

This.

[Habla]

As Steve said, get a whole Z4 if you can find one and you have the space and time to deal with dismantling and selling off extras. Its a waste of time with any other donor IMO.

I picked up a 2006 330i/6 from Copart a few years ago and tore it all apart to keep the drivetrain. It made more sense when I had an e91 daily that needed its sport interior, but knowing what we know now about the swap, I would just buy everything separately. That said, I did sell off enough parts to more than cover costs, while keeping an entire e90 rwd 6spd swap and the 3stg engine.

But now I find myself ordering z4 stuff anyway: another harness, mounts, IVM, EKP, pedal, maybe a plastic VC

Z4Z4Z4Z4

[CBeau]

Would an 325i e90 have the same donor capabilities as an 328i, or any better? Seems to check a lot of the same boxes looking over a 2006 325i parts list on realOEM (i.e. N52B30A, GS6-17BG, MSV70) with respect to some of builds on here.

Just want to make sure i wasn't overlooking anything that made the 328i much more favorable than the other N52B30 sedans/coupes. Other than the Z4.

[Panici]

If you have the space for a whole car, definitely get one for parts.

The M52 engine & ZF320 trans I'm running in my E30 now I essentially got for free after a very mild partout of an E36 vert.


I ended up needing to sell the shell quick as I was moving, but I could have made a couple grand if I had the time to sell the hardtop and interior bits separately.
Heck had I known I'd be getting into E36s, I would have kept the front seats, steering wheel, cross brace, wheels, etc.

Maybe one day I'll have some land in the countryside, and I'll never need to sell a parts car again 😆

[hoveringuy]

Would an 325i e90 have the same donor capabilities as an 328i, or any better? Seems to check a lot of the same boxes looking over a 2006 325i parts list on realOEM (i.e. N52B30A, GS6-17BG, MSV70) with respect to some of builds on here.

Just want to make sure i wasn't overlooking anything that made the 328i much more favorable than the other N52B30 sedans/coupes. Other than the Z4.

I'm not familiar with an a 325i E90, but the GS6-17 over a GS6-37 is a small bonus. Both transmissions work, the -17 is just 20lbs lighter and uses the stock mount.

An MSV-70 is about $80 on ebay so not a huge deal, I would certainly prioritize low mileage over getting the absolute best chassis. All the motors are the same aside from oil pan, intake manifold and with or without oil cooler.

[CBeau]

I'm not familiar with an a 325i E90, but the GS6-17 over a GS6-37 is a small bonus. Both transmissions work, the -17 is just 20lbs lighter and uses the stock mount.

An MSV-70 is about $80 on ebay so not a huge deal, I would certainly prioritize low mileage over getting the absolute best chassis. All the motors are the same aside from oil pan, intake manifold and with or without oil cooler.

Understood. I was mostly interested with any simplification in having a engine already paired with a MSV70 in terms of wiring and sensors. But if engines/sensors are fundamentally the same across the N52B30 platforms and can be made to work with the MVS70 with too much added difficulty, then great! I've been watching for a good donor for a bit now and I've seen a few low cost, high mileage ($3000 CAD, 300,000 KM) 325i RWD options but I do agree on prioritizing low mileage. Also I don't want to stray too far from the tried and true path.

[JRowe]

I got a 2007 328i with 6 speed manual as my donor car. Won a salvage auction for $400. Once I paid their additional auction fees and for towing, I was in it for $1500. Will be nice to have a complete donor.