Kind of a general question about buying a different car...
 

Hi, I'm looking at a different car to buy and want to know if I should avoid a car because it has a different engine (one I'm looking at has 127k miles on the body and 59k on the engine). Or is there something I should ask about it that will tell me if it should be avoided? Thanks

The "check engine" light (this comes in different forms with different manufacturers) should come on when the engine is not running and the key is in the "run" position. The light should go off when the engine starts.

If someone really botched the engine swap, they probably didn't get the sensors hooked up right and the check engine light would either always be on or never come on because it had been disabled somehow.

What type of car are you looking at? Do you know what size engine was put in it?

If its the same size/type of engine as the stock engine was and it came out of a compatible model, you should be fine. The only issue may be when you go to replace the water pump. pcv valve etc. and the part you get may be slightly different between models/specific engines. Most automotive parts places will let you return/exchange a part that came off their shelf (didn't have to be ordered and trucked in) unless its dirty or electronic.

I would ask some questions about why the engine was swapped.

The answers may tell you more about the car.

When I was car shopping recently, I came across a car with a recent engine swap, had 200k on the body. I talked the person about it, and apparently she burns through engines a regular basis. She drives hard, and doesn't do a lot of maintenance. You can go ahead and guess whether or not I bought that car...