How to pick a JDM engine seller

JDM importers in New Jersey That's the people you want to talk to at least it is in my area they've been around since the late '80s and I know they have divisions all over now or at least in strategic locations in the United States and if they know you they can deal over the phone prices aren't set in stone.

 

Yes, spend maybe $1000 more and get a remanufactured motor from hybrid pit.
I think they would stand behind there motor, and you get a "new" motor, more or less.

Why risk all that money for a used motor that may or may not work, or work for long.
Then you're spend more money, and TIME and LABOR to put another USED motor in?
And how much down time????

 

Or a new (gen 3) short block, and have a machine shop go over the head, reassemble all with the Toyota gasket kit, and new head bolts.

 

Maybe it's presumptuous, but New Jersey is a sketchy location to buy from online... If they say they're in New Jersey and I can find a similar price elsewhere then I don't buy from New Jersey.

 

Hey, Jersey can’t be all THAT bad. That’s the state that brought us The Sopranos and low budget strip joints..

 

Well you can do all of that you like. I know the place I buy from has been there a long time they've had a bunch of turnover and staff over those years and funny how that usually is all Asian people. I've been doing business with one or two of these places for quite a few engines quite a few engine swaps skyline engines going into whatever things like that things that were going on 15 17 years ago. So some of these places have been around for a minute they're usually close to the docks so a container comes in they can bring it right over to their warehouse literally slide everything out onto a floor and start putting it on the pallet strapping and setting them on shelves like home Depot has. The further away you get from the criminal activity prices can go up. Like I'm in North Carolina If I look on trade publications and even Facebook marketplace I can find people smaller little companies selling the same engines right here in my state but I'll pay more money for them especially if I'm not in the business and don't know what I'm doing so there's always those things. I've gotten to know a couple of the guys where I purchase my engines from in New Jersey. And I will ask them things like to when you go looking for what I'm looking for here can you make sure that it hasn't been drugged through the water It's not from a container that was not sealed well and got soaked so on and so forth the stuff does happen I was down at the warehouse for 5 years ago and saw a stack of engine sitting over in the corner that had been semi underwater for however long it takes to get from Asia to here so on and so forth those things just get thrown in the corner they don't get sold sometimes they'll break individual parts off of those assemblies and then send them to scrap cylinder heads specialty cylinder heads from engines that aren't available here things like that. But some of that observation could be construed as fairly reasonable. I'm not sure really what New Jersey per se would have to do with it that's just an area on the east coast where a lot of shipping containers are coming in a lot of shipping containers can be slid in under the radar without people noticing so they're not paying extra tax so on and so forth drug shipments come in mixed with oh well. Generally for us we're only paying between a thousand and $1,400 for an engine assembly so nothing breaking the bank If you buy it closer to you and there's no port and that sort of thing then you're going to have associated transport charges added on to that price to get it for sale in that market.