looking at a swapped 318ti.
 

well as the title suggests I'm looking at buying a 1996 318ti with a motor swap from a 1993 325is. I have very little knowledge about the e36 cars, I checked out the car today and the body is in excellent shape aside from the original color being green and the entire thing being stripped and repainted. The car would not start, it WOULD turn over but no start, there we're minor things such as window regulators etc... my only concern is the motor swap is there anything I should look for? or so I just run away now and steer clear?

heres a link to the guys craigslist ad.

http://okaloosa.craigslist.org/cto/3183838170.html

the post was flagged, but an OBDI swap into an OBDII chassis is illegal. you should be able to get away with it since you live in a state that doesn't do inspections but if you ever move or try to sell the car later on it might be a problem

I would steer way clear. Too many red flags. First and most obvious it has an illegal swap, so that right there tells you that the owner is shady. It doesn't run, that's a no brainer. Who knows what corners were cut during the build. It's never a good idea to buy someone else's basket case.

I agree with Jess, many swaps come on here and on craigs all with crazy hidden problems. This is where everyone thinks that a swap is so cheap and super easy to accomplish. Yes, I am sure anyone can twist a wrench but nevertheless you can get into a money pit if you don't know what you're doing. Personally I had mine done professionally and paid the premium but I can sit here today worry free. If you want a swap so bad then save more money and get one that is done right from trustworthy sources.

Who did your swap for you. What's the cost for something like that

Swap's are not as easy as they seem i ran into a few snags, mostly from people who sold me broken parts...

What are things to look for before purchasing an existing swapped car?

Thanks,
Jeremy

Details... Pictures, parts used, run the VIN on the engine (back of the head)... To do a swap properly the suspension, drive line, and brakes must all be upgraded. If the seller cannot tell you or show you exactly what he is selling you will not know exactly what you are buying. I have bought 2 swapped ti's and they both were a disappointment. I will probably never buy another but when the time comes for me to sell my cars I will have a stack of documentation for the potential buyer to review so they can be confident with their purchase. If you have to pay a premium for a well documented car it will be worth it in the long run.