About to buy my 3S-GTE, Have some ???s Options

[Pfloyd09]

WARNING: I am an IT guy, not a mechanic..

So I'm about to put the money down to buy a 3S-GTE, and although I've listened to the podcasts, read more about Celicas than I have anything else in the last year, I am still not 100% sure on this. So many options, conflicting opinions, and ways to do this.

I have tried to find a Gt-4 clip at a reasonable price, but they all seem to run about $2500 and up, plus $600 to $1000 for shipping. It seems pretty easy to find a 3S-GTE engine with the harness, ECU, etc.. for about $1,500.

I know there are serious advantages to the clip, but is it worth the extra $1,500 to $2,000 to get it vs. just the engine with the needed parts? Examples of engine only, below.

http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showto...p;#entry1022776

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JDM-94-98-TOYOTA-C...382&vxp=mtr

So if I buy one of those, or equivalent, what else would I need to acquire, and would it truly be better to buy the clip with the difference in $$ considered? I could see getting a clip at that price if it had a bumper and hood in good condition, but the only one I've found that fits that bill is $4,000, and would have to be shipped from Hong Kong.

Is there a better source for JDM engines/clips than what I see on ebay? I don't have unlimited funds to do this swap right now, but can swing the motor only, and some extra parts if needed. Will have to wait a month or two if the clip is the way to go. If I dip too deep into savings for this, the wife aggro may get a bit hot..

If there is a thread that covers this already, please enlighten me.

[bnr32celica]

Personally, I would rather a clip no matter what. There's always SOMETHING you end up needing, and the Caldina clip is only $1500 before shipping.
That's worth it alone in knowing the harness is uncut and undamaged. Why take a chance? My "complete" engine still needed $100+ in miscellaneous sensors that should have come with it, plus the ECU, igniter, MAF, etc...all of which would have been on a clip.

The Gen4 with a Gen3 turbo makes BIG power at 12psi. Talk to the guys at www.primemr2.com and peruse their site. They have tons of good info on the benefits of Gen4. My harness builder can mate the two harnesses for you when you're ready for a good price. I considered Gen4, but I have OBD2 eCheck, so I ended up going 1MZ. You have a 94, so it doesn't matter. Besides, the Caldina is FWD, meaning no tomfoolery with converting an MR2 trans or GT4 trans.

Knowledge is power my friend, and you can't have too much.