i bought an '97 240se auto. but i was also planning doing the swap shortly after the purchase. my main concern was that i wanted a clean vehicle. meaning no salvage title, no major accidents, etc. that to me was more important than finding a 5-speed, with a salvage title. so for 3 months i dealt w/the auto, and now i'm just waiting for my swap to be complete. the other thing was (in considering what i wanted, and it's just me) is i didn't want a green car.
