Just purchased my first vw. It's a 1968 bug. It's complete and soild except for an engine. I know there are books and enless articles on this but can anyone give me a concise (and quick) primer on engines? I'm confussed. I see lots of engine displacements & lots of options, etc. I'm going to want a reliable, steetable motor, fairly quick acceleration, highway cruiser. Where am I going to find a motor? Some local vendors have options. The internet is full of them, vw catalog vendors have them all over too and the prices seem to vary greatly. I also see some motors for sale by indivduals but some of those deals look bit scary not kowning what you're going to get. Do I look for a long block and build the rest? Do I look for complete motor? Do I build a complete motor from scratch? Do I find an old motor to rebuild? I know the answers to these all have cost implications but what is a reasonable amount to spend? I'm not adversed to maybe finding a motor to get my bug running and on the road knowing it might not be the final motor I use but I also don't want to waste a bunch of money redoing somthing down the road if I don't have to. If I could find the right set up now I'm sure I'd be ahead down the road. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Your going to find that everyone will have a different opinion on what the best size motor is. The biggest factor your gonna have is your budget. How much are you willing/have to spend on a motor? If you are wanting a Zero mile motor be prepared to spend a minimum of $2500 and up for a turnkey.

good advice from your other thread

My grammar I guess I didn't learned anything in college

I would try to get a stock or close to stock motor to start with. Find a complete one if you can, get the "Idiot's Guide," and rebuild it. Do your learning and mistake making on that motor. Even a stock motor can be pretty fun to drive, even though a stock 1600 only has about 55 hp, the cars only weigh ~1700-1800 lbs, so the power to weight ratio isn't too bad. Stock motors also respond really well to a header and a pair of dual carbs, the intake and exhaust on them are huge restrictions. You can also put in some higher ratio rockers. Do all that and you will notice a big difference. If you do all that, you will have learned a lot and can make a really informed decision on a big motor.
As for big motors, there is no right answer. The engine in my daily driver is more radical than a lot of full on drag motors and would be way too much for most people. Other people are happy with slightly modded stock motor I described above, it's totally up to you and your "style," your mechanical abilities, and your goals for the car.

What he said.....