What would you guys do? (e46 content)

[Yoshi]

So I have this E46 now headless. I can't find any cracks and the overheating could have caused both the block and the head to warp. My budget on cars is $100 a month (give or take) so big things aren't on the table. This wagon will eventually become the next drift car but I don't expect the E30 to die for at least 2 years. As such, I don't like a car sitting in my driveway rusting. I need to do something.

I've pondered:
Selling the damn car as is and cut my losses (wife doesn't like that cuz wagons are hard to find)
Spend ~$500 to put a HG on it (and fix the misc broken shit) and pray it runs. If it doesn't, I'm fucked and back to square 1
Find crashed donor car and part it out. I'd want a 330 but finding one for <$1k will be hard. I could toss in more but I don't think I can swing that much
Let the damn thing sit and rust out while selling what little parts I can
Buy a known good other 323i motor but make the car manual (I have no desire to put back in a torque converter)

There's other options out there right? I probably shouldn't have picked up this car. Had I known it was this bad, I would have passed. I figure, the parts car is the best money idea as I can hopefully sell off enough parts to make the cost of the motor only a few hundred. But then again, another potential bunk motor. A 330 motor would be nice though.

[M20_fever]

obviously the cheapest answer to your question would be to find a direct replacement used motor and keep the auto until you want to swap the LS into it. Unless it was throwing any trans codes, and it shifted good, and it's a temporary situation, reuse the old torque converter. 323 engines are probably harder to find than 328, but I assume the 328 isn't a direct plug and play replacement, meaning it will cost more money and time.

[Yoshi]

I find so many 328s. I'd have to flash out the EWS and stuff. Turns out I broke one of the chain retainers taking off the head. I might just part the damn motor and leave it under a cover for a few years. Sad...

Someone suggested I put in an LS with an auto trans. Use it to tow the drift car lol.

[M20_fever]

yeah, not a great tow vehicle, you'd definitely be over GVWR with a loaded car hauler. I would think the 323 would be way cheaper than the 328, and all you need is the engine. No need to worry about flashing the ecu, or finding OE parts crossover to swap in the different engine, etc...

Here you go $1k, with a Dinan tuned ECU to boot: http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/nva/pts/5268875314.html

You could make money parting that thing out and keeping the engine/ECU.

[Yoshi]

yea I saw that one. I know jack about autos. I kinda wanna find one for that price point but manual. I'm not in a rush to do this I guess. I emailed that seller with no response the other day

[M20_fever]

not much to know about autos, really pretty simple things when you get into them. If your just swapping another engine in, just throw the converter in and bolt it up. I saw a couple more 323s in your area for $1500 or less for complete running cars. Seems like if you really like the wagon you'll just need to bite the bullet and drop a grand into it. If you have the time you can part the donor car and make a few bucks, or find someone looking for a whole car to swap something into.

[Yoshi]

323s are such a pile. I could def use the spare parts. I'll likely have to save up cash for a few months to do this. Maybe use the CC.

[pr0craztinazn]

That is actually a pretty solid deal since he notes the car starts and runs. The 328i option also uses MS42 management and would be not as difficult to code as MS43 used with the 330i engine/M54B30.

[Yoshi]

He never emailed back. I think it's sold.