braggadoshis
New Member
I recently decided to sell my wife's 05' Grand Cherokee as we both have SUV's and I wanted something more fun with better gas mileage. A few weeks of looking at A LOT of cars new and used has ended me up here. I am very attracted to the performance that can be with these swaps for a reasonable dollar amount. The used/new cars I was most interested in were the VW GTI, and Mini Cooper S. I was actually very impressed by the looks of an EK Hatch with a solid paintjob, and decided to look into buying one to mod. I do not have one yet, but in my area it will probably run me $2500-3000 so factor that into the price of everything else.
My Goal: Use the roughly $10k I will be getting from the sale of the cherokee to get a reliable daily driver, that compares to the drive of a Mini Cooper S.
Additional Info:
-I will be going automatic as I am stuck in heavy traffic for 2-3 hours every other day.
-I will be redoing much of the interior like leather/dash/headunit/solid SQ system so not all of the $10k is going to the swap/tuning.
-I will be getting a new Charcoal paintjob and good rims/tires if I find a good deal
-I am not interested in racing at all at the moment. I just like gunning it light to light, and having a little fun on a freeway onramp/offramp,passing cars, or bombing down an empty street late at night.
-None of the swap will be done myself. I will be handling the majority of the interior fixes and sound system, but don't trust myself with that. How much should the swap cost me for labor?
I have been researching a lot into the different engine swaps, but most of the information I am finding is catered towards people looking to street race or take it to a track. So what engine would people recommend for a FUN, RELIABLE, daily driver that performs like a Mini Cooper S? From what I have read the B18C1 or B18C5 seem like the right choice, as the HP is very comparable to the Mini Cooper, but if there is a cheaper swap that can get me the feel of the Mini I would love to hear about it. Also, where do I buy a B18 engine? I can't really find a place online that is selling them for the prices I hear other people talking about.
Thanks a ton for any advice I get! I hope to get the balling rolling on this within the next 2 weeks.
My Goal: Use the roughly $10k I will be getting from the sale of the cherokee to get a reliable daily driver, that compares to the drive of a Mini Cooper S.
Additional Info:
-I will be going automatic as I am stuck in heavy traffic for 2-3 hours every other day.
-I will be redoing much of the interior like leather/dash/headunit/solid SQ system so not all of the $10k is going to the swap/tuning.
-I will be getting a new Charcoal paintjob and good rims/tires if I find a good deal
-I am not interested in racing at all at the moment. I just like gunning it light to light, and having a little fun on a freeway onramp/offramp,passing cars, or bombing down an empty street late at night.
-None of the swap will be done myself. I will be handling the majority of the interior fixes and sound system, but don't trust myself with that. How much should the swap cost me for labor?
I have been researching a lot into the different engine swaps, but most of the information I am finding is catered towards people looking to street race or take it to a track. So what engine would people recommend for a FUN, RELIABLE, daily driver that performs like a Mini Cooper S? From what I have read the B18C1 or B18C5 seem like the right choice, as the HP is very comparable to the Mini Cooper, but if there is a cheaper swap that can get me the feel of the Mini I would love to hear about it. Also, where do I buy a B18 engine? I can't really find a place online that is selling them for the prices I hear other people talking about.
Thanks a ton for any advice I get! I hope to get the balling rolling on this within the next 2 weeks.