E30 Zone

Is there any reason why you should avoid a 328i Auto when looking for a donor car?

I have a 325 (originally a 318i) and plan to use M20 drivetrain to keep costs down so does it matter what transmission type the donor car is?

the loom has a ton more wire, as the auto ecu wires are joined in - you can cut that stuff out though.

autos generally tend not to be bounced off the limiter constantly so an auto will probably have had an easier life?

you will need a spigot bearing that pushes into the block if using an auto donk.

auto is the way to go when looking for a good engine .

I used an auto donor

Like above you need a spigot bearing (but your would ideally be changing that anyway)

You also need a bit more wiring to disable the ews (need a constant live to one of the pins to fool the car you are in park so it will allow start up)... or just get a flashed ECU.

Also there are more wires, and I found it hard to mount the ecu in the 318i location (under the steering) without extending about 25 wires

Auto or manual does not really matter, main thing is that the engine is ok, wiring an auto is no big deal, iv'e wired both with no issues. Best bet is to send your loom to Dan anyway!