BMW's E46 generation 3 series was sold from 1999 to 2005 and it was known for its well balanced chassis and smooth inline-6 engines. If you want a fast one, you can get the M3 version for less than the price of this next example...but it won't have a 400+ horsepower V8 that'll drink 87 octane fuel and leave twin black stripes everywhere you go. Find this 2000 BMW 323ci V8 offered for $16,900 in Long Island, NY via craigslist. Tip from Jeff.
The Porsche 944 is one of the few affordable Porsches available on the open market that offers a decent amount of performance...but even the turbocharged later versions are still down on horsepower compared to a new Honda minivan. In fact, a 2018 Honda Odyssey Elite hits 60mph in 6.9 seconds, while an '87 Porsche 944S takes 7.5 seconds to get to the same speed...nope..that won't due at all. What you need is an injection of pushrod Corvette V8 horsepower to make the German coupe a properly quick. Find this 1987 Porsche 944 offered for $13,500 in Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.
The Mercury Zephyr (not to be confused with the California Zephyr, British Ford Zephyr or pre-war Lincoln Zephyr) was produced as a sedan, coupe and the uniquely styled Z7 coupe. The roof treatment is ostensibly an homage to the 1950 Ford Crown Victoria, but looks to us like an El Camino with a truncated truck bed cover. It is called a 'wrap around roof' but looks more like a gigantic ill conceived B-pillar...which, I'm happy to report, we can forgive because this thing should do a burnout from San Francisco to New York City. Find this 1978 Mercury Zephyr Z7 offered for $7500 in Farmville, VA via craigslist. Tip from Pushrod.
The RX-8 was the last of the line for production rotary engines from Mazda or any other manufacturer. It wasn't a bad car, but it wasn't the fastest thing from a Japanese dealer when new and cars haven't gotten any slower...HOWEVER, the chassis was sublime, so it makes the perfect donor car for something with some piston rings. Find this 2004 Mazda RX-8 here on eBay bidding for $2,350 with 3 days to go, located in Kansas City, KS.
BMW introduced the 3rd generation of their 3-series in 1990, and the lineup included sedans, coupes, hatchbacks, and wagons with inline engines. The fastest has always been the BMW Motorsports designed M3 version, but many people have discovered that Chevrolet's fantastic GenIII small block V8 fits between the shock towers...and the rest is history. Find this 1996 BMW 357i V8 offered for $15,000 CAD ($11,515 USD) in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada via Kijiji.ca. Tip from Jeff.
Find this 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle here on eBay offered for $13,900 located in Blue Ridge, TX with 19 days to go.
The term sleeper gets tossed around automotive circles so much that the average car guy is going to assume that the ugly car is faster than the nice one. So, how do you build a sleeper when everybody expects the ratty cars to be fast? Easy -- you build a car that looks like a show'er, but is actually a go'er. Find this 1980 Chevy Malibu with turbo 5.3 V8 offered for $12,800 in Reseda, CA via craigslist. Tip from Mike.
The Porsche 944 is a fantastic car on paper -- and it ruled the 80s as a mid-market sports car with an engine up front and a transaxle out back for excellent weight distribution and handling. However, with only 4-banger power available, it was always a bit poky -- and is slow compared to today's family sedans even when equipped with a turbocharger. It might be cliche to say this, but what the 944 was really missing from the factory was an LS1, and thankfully someone has fixed it for us. Find this 1988 Porsche 944 LS1 here on eBay
bidding for $6,300 reserve-not-met with a $15,000 buy-it-now located in Siloam Springs, 
The second generation Chevrolet Blazer/GMC Jimmy/Opel Blazer was based on the popular S-10 truck chassis and was now midsized to match the growing wasteband of 'Murica. The biggest engine available from the factory was a 4.3 liter Vortec V6 that produced up to 200 horsepower, so if you wanted the relive the lunacy of the Typhoon era, you'd have to swap in something with more thrust, like an LS1 V8. Find this 2003 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer Extreme with LS1 swap offered for $7,000 in Woodstock, CT. Tip from Art.
Many of the V8 powered Volvo wagons you find are low budget form follows function burnout machines that have Humboldt State University stickers patching up rust holes, but this next one is really nice looking...well...nice looking for a boxy Swedish wagon. Find this 1990ish Volvo 740 Wagon with LT1 V8 and 6 speed manual gearbox offered for $12,000 via V8volvos.com classifieds. Tip from Matt..JPG)
I love optimistic sellers. You know, people who say stuff like "With some TLC and a fresh coat of paint this car could go from amazing to super amazing!" But you know what I like even more? Cheap LS1 swapped cars that have suspensions and chassis designed for handling. Combine that optimistic seller with a V8 swap and the seller's listing goes from amazing to super amazing. Find this 1985 Porsche 944 with Chevy V8 power offered for $7,550 in Boston, MA via craigslist. Tip from Eric.
After the gift of a goldsmobile from the first wise man, the second (Melchior) presents his gift to the newborn baby Jesus, it is the perfect combination of speed and class for the newborn king-- a V8 powered Frankenbenz. Find this 1973 Mercedes-Benz 450SL with LS1 offered for $28,000 on craigslist, located in Daytona Beach, FL. This feature is part of DT's Epiphany Special.
Another day, another V8 LS1 powered Porsche, but this time it isn't a mid engined 914 that has been desecrated at the altar of the Chevy, but a front engined Porsche 944. It is probably cheaper to swap in a GM LS1 V8 than rebuild the stock inline-4, but it might be a great way to embarrass 911s at the soon to be open Porsche Experience Center located near Los Angeles. Find this 1987 Porsche 944 V8 here on eBay, currently bidding for $5,700 reserve-not-met with 4 days to go.
At first glance this simple Volvo 740 might look like another soccer mom mobile, but peek under the hood and...great horns on Thor's helmet...the Yoshifab LS1 Volvo is back for sale again. You might remember when it first
appeared in late 2012 from its builder Yoshifab,(who sold it for $8k according to his facebook page), it popped back up on ebay in March, then April 2013 from a seller in Ohio and then back on ebay in October of 2014 where it finally sold for $10,020. The new owner claims he decided he wasn't a V8 guy and put it back on eBay. Find this 1992 Volvo 740 with LS1 V8 Swap
currently bidding for $7,800 reserve-not-met with a few hours to go, located in Elmwood Park, IL.
Let's wrap up Super Swap Saturday with a bang! We'll bring our celebration of engines swaps to a conclusion the right way...with an LS1 swap. Is it cliché? Sure, but the LS1 cliché is forgivable if it is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. Find this 1998 BMW Z3 with LS1 V8
currently bidding for $7,100 reserve-not-met with $16,500 buy-it-now with 2 days to go, located in Maysville, GA.
Someday, air-cooled Porsches could become entirely out of reach for the everyman. Even today, the going rate of a base 914 could put you in a 986 Boxster. If $70k 914s and six-figure 911s have you down, this budget 'Teener is just what the doctor ordered... if your doctor had a vested interest in your untimely death. Packing an LS1 where the VW-sourced 1.7 once sat, this 914-8 is a better performance:price proposition than any other 914 or Boxster. Find this LS1-swapped 1972 Porsche 914 for sale in Traverse City, MI for $9,001 with 5 days to go via eBay.