Engine swap - How much does it cost? Which one?

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E30PocketsHurty
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Tue May 26, 2020 9:38 am

So.... A question that gets asked a lot for answers that vary massively.

Hey guys,

I am new here and have been looking at buying an E30 Coupe or Saloon, I have seen a few around the 5k mark and am looking for a clean, rust-free shell. Over the weekend I watched a fair few videos on E30's and engine swaps trying to find out how much they cost but nobody seems to give similar answers.

Ideally the swap will be completed by a shop, so my question is: How much did yours cost and which engine variant did you go for?
I would like to reach the 350-400 hp mark but would need to know what this would typically cost and which options I have for engines while being sensible. Preferably would like an N55/N54/S65 motor but don't see too many of these swaps.

I assume this question is asked fairly regularly and has a lot of varying answers, i'd just be interested to see what you guys have done and how much you spent.
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Satan
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Wed May 27, 2020 10:14 am

Speak to DanThe,
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flybynite
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Wed May 27, 2020 12:15 pm

All going to come down to what you want to do with the car, track day? Santa pod? Scene queen cruising? Bragging rights? Churning rubber smoke into the air?

To do any swap properly there is going to be more cost than you would think, even the tried and tested ones. That is why there are so many badly done and never-finished swaps out there

400bhp done right is not going to be cheap (especially if you can't do it yourself and you want to actually use some of that power ). Many cars at that power are so modified that they lose what an E30 is and you may as well buy a good 400bhp car which will drive far better.

That is why you don't see many of those swaps
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