E36 318is Swap Opinion Needed

[DRIFTM42CANO]

Ok guys heres my issue

my auto 318is just hit 250k and cyl 4 has 60 compression so its shot

so what should i do? Repair or Swap for another M42

I mean i dont need a fast engine i just need a car to take me to school and work but frankly i love the M42 engine

my mechanic didnt touch the internals because he didnt want to make me spend money until i decided what to do

but i was looking around and found a 95 Auto M42 engine off a 318i and hes asking for 500 just for the engine

now my other question is should i go thru with the engine? or repair? and if that engine would fit no problem? and how much you guys think i would be spending on the swap itself?

I need help i dont want to let this car go to many memories

[Nomadic]

Was the car smoking out the tail pipe or running poorly?  Any grey sludge in the oil or the coolant?  Did the mechanic indicate what might be wrong?   Worn or broken ring(s)?  Bent or burnt valve?  Headgasket?   w/o knowing the problem its hard to give a good answer.     A leak-down test will tell you what the problem is without having the mechanic tear into the motor.  

What do you know about the other 318i motor?  Do you know the mileage? Have you seen the car it came out of? Any compression numbers?