I am looking for opinions on my project. Here is my situation. I have a 91 n/a with a blown gasket that has been sitting for a few years. Its got about 180,000 on the odometer, but is in pretty good shape other than the engine. I am trying to decide if I should do a turbo II swap and bring everything up to spec, or just start with a turbo II. I have a budget of around $7,500 give or take, and the goal is for a sporty daily driver. So far I am leaning towards buying an S5 turbo II that needs some work and getting a rebuild , brakes, suspension, maybe paint work if I can afford it, etc. Seems like the most bang for the buck option considering I could also sell my old car as a roller or part it out to recoup a little cost. On the other hand I could order a j-spec motor, get it rebuilt, find the drive line stuff I need, modify the exhaust, maybe go with an aftermarket diff, but probably not have as much left for suspension, brakes, and paint. I can do basics like brakes and suspension myself, maybe prep for paint too. Opinions?

 

get a rebuild from someone who knows what they are doing,or buy an engine from a known Good Seller.
JDM engines are a crap shoot.you pay money and take your chances.
BUDGET is a six letter word that isn't affiliated with an RX7...building an Rx7 on a Budget will turn into a Car that WON'T BUDGE!.

 

Yeah bear in mind that there's a good chance you'll have to rebuild the swap anyway. So maybe $4200 vs. buying another TII in good shape for the same price. Or you may find a good swappable motor for less.

$7500 is pretty borderline. You could probably afford a turbo motor, a rebuild and all the basic upgrades like exhaust and suspension but you'd have to stop there. May even be a little over budget if turbos need tuning after basic upgrades; ask someone with more know how.