horent135

iTrader: (10)

Shane, just save more money and get what you really want. I really suggest u get a reliable beater first then build up your money.
I would get GTE with v160.
Engine with tranny = 6k
labor = est 3k
other parts (drive shaft, IC pipes and etc) = 1 or 2k?
Probably 10k total will get your awesome car!

FYI 2jzge cost around $300-500. Sold one for $300 in the past. PM align, he will probably get you a 2jzge around in that price range.
Or you can get 1uz and keep the car reliable!

Tabaka

iTrader: (8)

Investing $10k cash into a 16 year old car isn't going to fly in my household. I'd rather spend the money on upgrading my house. Not to mention she would bury me alive in the back yard.

$3k I can live with as it will get me back and forth to work for another year or two.

I do agree that I need a reliable daily driver. I've been looking at Toyota Tacomas lately as I need a truck for my side business. Our Honda Fit has been doing the job so far, but I need another couple of feet of space.

vietunit

iTrader: (5)

1JZ, stay @ home during the summer to watch Entourage and save $!

MKIVS374

iTrader: (2)

How far are you from VA Beach.

RED95sc

iTrader: (1)

1jz is the way to go if you want power, and reliability on a budget, and like shern said, get the auto swap, and just use your W58, only problem is you will just have a auto trans you more than likely wont get any money for

FatBrian81

iTrader: (2)

Before you can decide what to do with your engine you need to know why its smoking and burning oil. Spending a few bucks on a proper compression/leak down test will tell you if your engine is worth throwing parts at or if its toast and needs replacing.

account2x

iTrader: (5)

If you do not care for speed you should buy/lease a newer car. Old cars are unaffordable to own in the long run because you'll spend more or an equal amount on parts than a new lease would cost.

Tabaka

iTrader: (8)

This is a good point. We bought a Honda Fit new in 2008 and spend $300 a month. We take it to the Honda Dealer maybe three times a year and spend an extra $500 annually. It runs like a champ and never gives us any issues after 60,000 miles.

I bought my SC last March for $6000 and have spent absolutely $0.00 on maintenance other than oil changes and my rotors/brakes. I flushed the coolant, power steering, and transmission fluid but that's about it. It ran like a champ until I started losing oil weekly.

But, the vehicle cost me $6,000 cash. With a $3,000 investment that has the possibility of lasting 2 years with minimal maintenance, this is equal to $125 a month. So, I have to think about it that way as well. But, I have to remember that anything can happen and a 1JZ doesn't exactly have over the shelf parts.

account2x

iTrader: (5)

If you change the seals, replace the control arms and ball joints, suspension and do the general tune-up like spark plug wires along with regular maintenance such as coolant, transmission, engine and whatnot the car will last far longer than two years.

The issue is replacing something like the rear main seal which usually leaks on high mileage vehicles is only a few dollar part but the labor to do it is in the hundreds. It's the labor that is the deal breaker.

On a side-note I think the SC300 5 SPD is a lot cooler than a Honda Fit.

1WILLY1

iTrader: (9)

Dont mean to call you out man but do you know how hard it is to rebuild an engine? Have u ever done it personally?

To compare reading a book to rebuilding an engine is just not realistic at all.

Also the parts to rebuild an engine alone are in the thousands.

The Flash

i agree these motors are made to last
i beat the hell out of mine and blew it up had over 100K and there was little to no ware on any part in side

KarateDoc

If you sold your car how much could you get for it? Add that up with your $3K and what could you get that is in better shape and newer technology?

Be realistic in what you want. If you want high horsepower and reliability that usually don't go hand in hand. You say you are married, have house and a workaholic. You sound a lot like me. You would probably be happy with something a little more reliable that is still fun to drive. If you have a family then you may have to start thinking more about them and keep the speed a little lower and just set the car up to handle the curves.

If it were me and I really were attached to the car I would just have someone rebuild the motor to get another 100K out of it. You said you drive approximately 40 miles a day 6 days a week with a few more side trips that would probably be less than 15k a year. That would get you a little over 6 years out of the car and you could bank the rest for something else that strikes your fancy.

Find a trustworthy mechanic that could strip the motor down and inspect it. With the number of miles on the car it sounds like it wasn't taken care of too well engine wise. You might be able to get away with just replacing the bearings rings and a fresh valve job and seals and timing belt, water pump and be done. If it goes thru that much oil a week you either have an oil leak or you are probably blowing it thru the valve seals, it could be rings but if it has some good power or the compression is good it may just be the heads. Or you could go all out and rebuild the whole thing and have it go another 200k+.

Doing complete engine swaps takes more time and money then most people budget for. Case in point I just swapped a 4.3 TBI V6 into my toyota rockcrawler and it took me over a year because my schedule is like yours. I did save a lot because I can fabricate with a welder and I have the tools. It still cost me then I budgeted for. If you really want to go fast and have a cool setup then you may also consider selling what you have and buy someone elses car that is getting out of the go fast scene.

My $.02

TLDriver

iTrader: (4)

^^ Good points there.

OP: Sounds like you need a truck and if you are able to sell the SC and put the 3k on top of it for a newish Tacoma it's the perfect time. You will get reliability of a Toyota and not have the hassle of replacing the engine or fixing it.

I am in a similar position at the moment, luckily the SC is my long term project and it can wait until I am ready. I have my BMW (no major issues) and I am looking to get a Tacoma. I am thinking of selling the BMW and getting the little truck. They come handy and the newer ones compete with my current MPG's on the BMW as my DD. I do computer work on the side and sometimes moving pc's and network printers in the BMW is a struggle or multiple trips.

mr2tosc4

iTrader: (1)

Engine: I would have it properly diagnosed before considering a swap, then go from there. Until you know exactly how much you're looking at there's no point comparing it to the costs of swaps. Rear main seal side jobs can run you anywhere from 300-600 and that will take care of the leak unless you're leaking from the valve cover too, add another 150-250. Whatever's causing your stalling issue, it will def be a lot less than the rear seal fix and there you go. Labor for the water pump and timing belt can be factored into the job, the more things you fix at one time, the lower the overall labor would be (very true with side jobs of course) compared to having it done one at a time. I would not dispose of any engine until I definitely figure out what was wrong with it and how much it will cost to fix it unless I was swimming in cash.

My view is this, you love the car well enough that you want to throw $3k just to keep it instead of selling it and moving on to another car. Wouldn't it be worth spending a small amount to have it properly diagnosed that way you know what's wrong with it? It will also be a learning experience in terms of ownership of a car that you care for, next time something goes wrong with it, you know what you already fixed and the process of elimination gets smaller.

Daily: I vote Cherokee jeep 4.0 for a daily, 165k miles now and still running smooth, not bad considering all i did was tune it up 2 years ago at 130k.

MR_Clean

Do a compression/leak-down test on the motor to properly diagnose what the issue is. If you have worn ring's, broken ring lands or something more major then obviously a new engine is something to consider.

Honestly, I wouldnt swap a different motor into the car unless you were looking for a performance upgrade. If you just want a daily driver sticking with the GE will be your best option. You can pick one up for pretty cheap, put a few hundred into gaskets, seals, bearings etc. and have a damn near new motor for under what you'd even spend for a 1J swap. Not to mention you wouldnt have to mess with wiring harness' (more labor) or transmissions, etc.

You can pick up a GE motor for VERY cheap. I am pulling my motor out of my car in 2 weeks and it just had a recent timing belt, water pump and a lot of seals etc. replaced an I only plan to ask 3-500 or so. Pick something up like that, throw a few hundred into it and then pay someone to install it and you're golden.

The GE is a very capable and reliable motor as we all know. Don't get yourself into something you regret or end up spending too much money on. Doing swaps enables the possibility of running into little parts that need to be replaced, are hard to find and can cost a lot. If you go with a GE you know all the accessories on your motor will fit as well. This can save you money in the future if you break something on the new motor.

Hope what I'm saying makes sense and that whatever route you choose to go is the most rewarding.

Good Luck!