I need a new short block and spent the weekend searching, and Monday morning calling different vendors.

BMW is selling remanufactured engines that went through their facility for the rebuild, with 24 month warranty, for $4100. R53 motor, or JCW​​​​ for the same price!!!

The two vendors I spoke to told me basically the same, thing-yes its real, they're shipping from Germany, so several weeks out.

If, they were only 1-2 weeks, I was going to buy the JCW, but I don’t have time to wait.

If you're in the market for a new motor now is the time to buy. It sounds like, there's not an unlimited supply.

 

So you will get a jcw head for same price as a standard S head , I'd absolutely go jcw ! Then just get an ebay set of the 380cc clones that are dang near identical and run exact tuning and you'd be good to go. Throw the 11% pulley on it too then and make it a jcw 210