Why do people pick the E30 M3 to do an engine swap?

[Csmitho777]

My plan which my seem over the top just to save an e30 m3 shell is to Bulid a e30 m3 vert replica with a s52. I feel that this car would be completely custom so therefore in my mine using a different engine does not hurt a perfectly good e30 m3 or shell. I will feel bad using the bumpers quarters suspension etc. I hope some day I will be talented enough to do this. As for now I am sticking with e30 m3 for those sunny days just to put a smile on my face and hear that s14 scream. I am doing a m30 swap into a e30 just to learn the ropes and have a project. My. .02

[Levin86]

The reason i bought my M3 for was:-

1) The chassis and balance of the car. I read for years that the car could eat corners; and

2) The S14 engine.

If the M3 was without the S14 engine, there was no way i would of bought the car. Changing coilovers, exhaust, bolt on parts are fine as these can be easily swapped over but putting a different engine in the car? i can't understand that.

The M3 has to have a S14 engine to make it an M3, so why change the heart of the car? Also, there are only a limited number of these cars, so why ruin them? The BMW designer put the S14 in for a reason. If you want a faster, powerful car then buy something else and leave the M3 as it should of been like when it left the factory.

My 2 cents

[Jose Ruiz]

I am guilty. First and foremost i loved my s14, it was a marvel of its time. Nowadays 200 horsepower is not as impressive as it was 20yrs ago. the deal is i love my car and i would not let it suffer the fate of being outrun by a damn supercharged neon, or a v6 equipped minivan.
I enjoy driving everywhere and getting looks and nods for my car but i cant explain the feeling you get when your machine blows the doors off an unsuspecting ricer that was riding your bumper. dont count on your cars going up too much in value, the more miles you put on them the less they are worth. 46k m3 is rare 120k m3 is common. But dont base your kids college fund on the appreciation because it probably wont get you much. so just drive and enjoy.

[Farbin Kaiber]

Treehouse Adapter, S14 on a pallet/tire in the corner of the garage. By all means, if you have it, keep it numbers matching. But in reality, musclecars that are 1 of 3, or, 1 of 1 option packages took almost 40 years to hit their present mark, up to 2.2m dollars, ('cuda, GTO, Charger, Camaro, Chevelle) but I don't think there are too many out there with a 1 of 3, or, 1 of 1 M3...

[NSXM3]

"Why do people pick the E30 M3 to do an engine swap?"

Its $10k+ to rebuild a 2.3 and less than 1/2 that to throw in a higher HP six.

I love the little 2.3 four in my car!

Sold this BB 3 yrs ago. Loved the car! But do not miss it.
It was very fast & cornered very very well!
http://www.corvetteforum.net/classics/396_rat/
Have owned many muscle & sports cars (Am much older than most here), right now my 90 M3 is everything I wanted it to be.
Purposely did not buy a low mi mint example. If I had, it would sit more than being driven. Garage queens are nowhere near as much fun as drivers. 100% stock garage queens are important though, it keeps a nice fresh supply on hand for future purchases. :wee:

[OOMPH!]

I bought my M3 with a S52 swap already complete.... However, I do understand the reason people want to stay with the s14. Lot of history involved plus I think the car handles 10x better with the s14 obviously.

[SDKmann]

"Why do people pick the E30 M3 to do an engine swap?"

Its $10k+ to rebuild a 2.3 and less than 1/2 that to throw in a higher HP six.

I love the little 2.3 four in my car!

Yeah but in the end your paying for it since you either A) have to modify the car like crazy to balance the 6 out and get proper weight distribution or B) live with the fact that at any time a civic could have the ability to out handle you. A E30 M3 with anything but the S14 is an absolute waste. Its nothing more then a muscle car then and a pretty shitty one at that. If you want S50/52 power and handleing then just buy a E36, E30s are way too rare to destroy with swaps.

[NSXM3]

So, you agree?
I was quoted 14k for a 1st rate 2.3 rebuild.
Almost everything new.
Good thing I dont need a rebuild!:jakeroutine:

[SDKmann]

It depends on what I am agreeing about. If your asking if I agree that a swap is good then no. It doesnt matter how much it costs, keeping these things original and on the road is all that matters. Ive heard figures of 6k-8k for a rebuild and that doesnt sound too bad once you consider what they are doing. 14k sounds a little steep but if it prolongs the life of a legendary car then so be it. Id sell a kidney to pay for a rebuild before Id ever even consider a swap.

[///Mflossin]

So, you agree?
I was quoted 14k for a 1st rate 2.3 rebuild.
Almost everything new.
Good thing I dont need a rebuild!:jakeroutine:

wow...that's an expensive ass rebuild. I assume that includes head work and block work, cams etc...etc...etc.?

[chutrain]

wow...that's an expensive ass rebuild. I assume that includes head work and block work, cams etc...etc...etc.?

Yeah, you can probably get a pretty much fully built motor for that much dough. I believe a guy on eBay recently was selling a racing S14 motor for around that price. I think $6-8k is a good number on a no frills rebuild.

I'll probably step up to the 2.5 when I get a rebuild, but lets hope that its in the distant future as I only got 73k on the original motor. Good time to start saving for that rebuild now that I think of it.

[FredK]

Yeah but in the end your paying for it since you either A) have to modify the car like crazy to balance the 6 out and get proper weight distribution or B) live with the fact that at any time a civic could have the ability to out handle you.

Have you hustled either an S14 or S5x E30 M3 down a winding road? What is modifying the car like crazy? I would see tubbing the car and moving the drivetrain back 6 inches as being radical. Fooling around with coilover spring rates / corner balancing the car isn't really modifying the car like crazy.

A E30 M3 with anything but the S14 is an absolute waste. Its nothing more then a muscle car then and a pretty shitty one at that. If you want S50/52 power and handleing then just buy a E36, E30s are way too rare to destroy with swaps.

Be real. Nothing more than a muscle car?

Personally I'd rather see an S14 in an M3 as well. But I say, to each his own.

[Brandon]

Remember that the more bastardized E30 m3s there are out there, the more the original ones will be worth :^)

[the808state]

I'm gonna post as a n00b here... The e30 M3's body and lines is sex on wheels in my mind. I've loved them since I was a young boy and always wished to own one.

20 years later and I feel the same way about this car. Although as those 20 years have past a lot has changed when talking about my personal views of performance. With building turbo cars and boosting many N/A cars in the past the S14 engine isn't my choice of engine.

Please don't get me wrong, it is a masterpiece! I don't know many other N/A 4cyl that put out that much per liter and if damn Honda didn't release the F20C it would probably still be at the top. Although I love to stick it to the s2000 owners about how BMW did it 20 years ago. lol

I've loved e30s since I was a kid and have owned a few 325s in the past. But in my mind, a boosted M20B25/27 hybrid is hands down a better motor and a far cheaper build.

Please take this post for what it is and don't go too hard on the n00b... This is merely my personal preferences and opinions on the matter.

[GreekM3]

I most definately understand the importance of keeping the m3 original and in existance.

But what do you do to a salvage title car in complete decrepid condidtion with near 300k miles, which has had its drivetrain taken away by another e30 m3 driver who blew his s14 and decided it would be better to just buy it out of this one......

The only logical answer in my mind was to take it in, bring it back to life (which includes paint, interior, etc), and throw a motor in that i could afford. Of course this is a rare case, but im sure there are plenty of m3's that have had their motor's robbed... the more prime candidates for a swap