and I can get a stock bench rebuild done on a 4L60E for $600-$650 so for a couple hundred more i'm in better shape than buying used junk.

It all comes down to what you want. To parrot what Camaro69 said is do you really want to do the job twice? Heck on this forum there was a poster (can't recall who) who went through a few used trannies. For all the time and money involved he could have just had his rebuilt and been better off.

The same with used engines.

These are the types fo discsussions which can be misleading if the reader does not understand the apples and oranges difference in the discussions. What you end up with is a kid who wants to believe he can be good as new and back on the road for $400 while I'll say that if they can't do the work themselves then they are looking at around $1600 for r+r and rebuild.

Which person would a kid want to believe, the $400 or $1600? They look at the numbers instead of understanding what you get in each.

The same is true wrt engines. If just want to slap in a used junkyard engine and pray for the best in order to get a few more months from the car then OK. But, if i even have an inkling that I want reliability then I'm not going that route.

 

So to sum it up.....
1 save some more money($6-8k) for a nice ls1 with no worries included. Or
2. Take the 4-5k and look for a nice 3800 series or a 3.4l OR...
3 take 2k buy a civic hatchback, slap a cat-back exhaust with a 3inch cherry bomb on that baby with atleast 2 stickers on the bumper. ( all the cool kids do it)

 

I'm speaking from experience when I say that we've had VERY minimal losses from junkyard motors, these LSx motors are very tough customers and in some cases we've tried to blow them up and couldn't

There are junkyard motors running in the 8s at this point, trannies are another story, but those motors are pretty damn tough

 

Well let me specify I am fairly mechanically inclined. For instance I replaced the timing belt and crankshaft sensor in my current car. Even if I couldn't do it my roommate is a certified mechanic, and my dad used to be a mechanic for big 18 wheeler trucks. but on the other hand I don't want to buy a car that needs major work.

 

#3 is my favorite. Don't forget to install a roof rack you'll never use and stencil unrelated brands on your windows like DC Shoes.

 

that list of cars wasn't ones I'm saying he should buy, its simply there to demonstrate that you CAN find them for that price and they aren't all one hit wonders, there are quite a few of them

 

It's not just about being mechanically inclined. All of those LSx cars are already at the top of your price range and need major attention. I wouldn't consider a car that has been put through its paces for a DD, especially when it's beyond your price range to begin with.

 

I'm fully aware, but I don't think it's a good move for someone new to the game.

 

right

I could grab an LS from the junkyard but it's not going to do 8's in the quarter mile in its stock form (or did you mean the 1/8)

that is where the guilt by omission begins. is it really a junkyard motor any longer after it's been rebuilt?

 

whose rebuilding it? Guys are taking junkyard 5.3s with a cam and valvesprings and a turbo and going 8s, I would hardly consider that rebuilt.

Hell, they've gone low 9s with a GM LS6 cam