Kinda-new member intro | Opinions/Advice Needed!!!

[s4mt3k]

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[monoblanco]

Welcome.
Good luck with your search. I don't know where you live, but these cars seem to keep going up in price, at least here in California.

Why or how do you so many BMWs ended up in Lebanon? Is this a unique case in the region, or are BMWs as plentiful in Syria and Israel?

[s4mt3k]

Welcome.
Good luck with your search. I don't know where you live, but these cars seem to keep going up in price, at least here in California.

Why or how do you so many BMWs ended up in Lebanon? Is this a unique case in the region, or are BMWs as plentiful in Syria and Israel?

Thank you. I live in Massachusetts (just updated my location).

Bimmers/Mercs are just very popular in the Middle East. Nowadays they all pretty much come loaded but back in the day you could even buy it with out options.

[s4mt3k]

Bump for advice/opinions!

Sent from my Etch a Sketch 4G

[evandael]

happy 4th! before i go to bed, i'll address some of your questions..

if you want an MTech 2 kit, it must be a late model. so that rules out all cars but 88+

do you want a sedan or a coupe? a late model coupe will command the big bucks. an 88 sedan may be your best bet in terms of initial value.

s52's are becoming affordable. that said, you're only looking at 200whp, give or take, so you may be correct in your desire for a turbo m5x. throw on some ARP head studs, o-ring the block and a stock headgasket will allow 12+ psi all day (with a good tune). the next, and perhaps most important question is obd1 vs. obd2.

here's the breakdown.. obd1 = more affordable turbo tuning. obd2 = superior diagnostics and tuning capability, but at a higher cost. if you're willing to pay a bit more, get an M52B28 and retain obd2. otherwise, M50tuB25 with obd1 will get you more horsepower than you know what to do with!

good luck on your search!

[agent]

From what I've seen, "very reliable"and "turbocharged" when talking about an M20 or M5x are pretty much mutually exclusive. If you want bulletproof reliability and an S5x is out of the budget, you'll want an M52. And unless you have a five figure budget, adding FI and shooting for 300+ HP should probably be goals saved for if/when it becomes more of a toy car. Good luck with your search.

[TheTacoMan]

Turbos are not the most reliable thing, unless they are very thought out and meticulously built. Fast, reliable, cheap. Pick two.

[s4mt3k]

happy 4th! before i go to bed, i'll address some of your questions..

if you want an MTech 2 kit, it must be a late model. so that rules out all cars but 88+

do you want a sedan or a coupe? a late model coupe will command the big bucks. an 88 sedan may be your best bet in terms of initial value.

s52's are becoming affordable. that said, you're only looking at 200whp, give or take, so you may be correct in your desire for a turbo m5x. throw on some ARP head studs, o-ring the block and a stock headgasket will allow 12+ psi all day (with a good tune). the next, and perhaps most important question is obd1 vs. obd2.

here's the breakdown.. obd1 = more affordable turbo tuning. obd2 = superior diagnostics and tuning capability, but at a higher cost. if you're willing to pay a bit more, get an M52B28 and retain obd2. otherwise, M50tuB25 with obd1 will get you more horsepower than you know what to do with!

good luck on your search!

Thank you! I def want a 2DR non-convertible. I had heard that only newer years would work with the MT2 bits so thank you for confirming. As far as the obd1/2 question, the more I think abt it, the more I think it would make sense to pick up a salvage e36 as a donor (much later down the road when it's motor swap time). if I go that route I would think OBD2 would stay for sure.

From what I've seen, "very reliable"and "turbocharged" when talking about an M20 or M5x are pretty much mutually exclusive. If you want bulletproof reliability and an S5x is out of the budget, you'll want an M52. And unless you have a five figure budget, adding FI and shooting for 300+ HP should probably be goals saved for if/when it becomes more of a toy car. Good luck with your search.

I don't anticipate this being a quick project and I do not plan on cutting corners. I think the turbo phase would be last and not anytime soon and it won't be rushed/cheap. Thank you for your input!

Turbos are not the most reliable thing, unless they are very thought out and meticulously built. Fast, reliable, cheap. Pick two.

I did pick two, even posted the in my OP haha; fast yet reliable!

This could take me years to complete and I'm ok with that. I'm just trying to measure twice cut once type of thing. Knowing what I want my end result to be, I need to map out the route and that's where I am right now.

Thanks guys!

[s4mt3k]

Another thought/question; with the above in mind, when looking for a car, should I stick to a specific mode 318/320/325i/325is? If yes, why?

[nick526]

Don't buy a roller, get a complete running car. With a kid on the way, the time you'll have to build something from the ground up will be limited at best.

abrahamsmotorsport.com has mtech 2 replica kits.

M30 swap is pretty cheap reliable and easy. Makes a great turbo engine also.

[s4mt3k]

Don't buy a roller, get a complete running car. With a kid on the way, the time you'll have to build something from the ground up will be limited at best.

abrahamsmotorsport.com has mtech 2 replica kits.

M30 swap is pretty cheap reliable and easy. Makes a great turbo engine also.

Yeh I definitely would prefer a driver but would sacrifice that if a really straight & clean car came along.

Thanks for the link for the rep kits, I heard oem were in the 1500 range, is that correct?

[evandael]

wait slow down. forget the inline six and forget the turbo.

do an obd2 M62B44 6 speed swap, using a full, wrecked e39 as a donor.

fast, reliable, and cheap(er than a turbo build)