How long does a rebuilt m20 last?

[urbancynic]

Looking at picking up an 87 e30 coupe. owner stated the car has a total of 296k on it, but has 126k since a complete rebuild on the engine and tranny.

He also states that he has receipts to prove it.

Car is labeled as an "i" but he listed it as an "e". I havent seen it in person yet, so I dont know which it is for sure.

I need it to be a daily for about a month, so it has to be reliable. I had an 86 eta for about 9 months and liked it, but wanted a 2 door... and an "i".

yes I searched before asking.

Thankyou for your help.

[blocke]

I don't think there's any solid rule on how long they last. My car has 250k+ on it, never rebuilt, and it runs like new. It's all about maintenance, and how well they took care of it, or how hard they abused it. As a rule, the iron blocks in the m20 are known to be pretty solid. Head is aluminum, and subject to warpage if it overheats. Valve guide seals wear..the usual stuff.
Best bet would be ask for the receipts for work done, and any maintenance records. If you can, do a compression test. Just make sure the water pump/timing belt/tensioner was done, if not plan on doing that once you get it. E30's are fairly cheap to maintain, so even if it has a few issues, a little $ and a little work can fix most.

[SpecM]

if the engine has only 126k, and the rebuild was done well, you should be fine. Lots of m20s have over 150-200k, and never had the head off.

[2.5-12]

my B25 has 233,900 miles on it, original. paired to a slushbox its whole life probably helped but it runs new.