Yes, an S52 swapped E30, converted to OBD1 and BAR'ed in California. My advice is that if you plan on dailying a swapped car, be sure to rebuild the new engine before putting it in. Costs a bit more upfront, but if you address any issues with the engine (in my case, securing the oil pump nut) and replace any worn bits, you'll significantly extend the life of the engine and save some headache later on. As you posted an E30, I would recommend swapping in an M/S5x engine or an M30 as they are both extremely well-documented swaps and virtually all the swap parts you need can be purchased inexpensively. Since my swap, I've enjoyed having nearly twice the original power of my car, better milage, and better sound and I know I have at the very least another 200k miles on the engine before I can expect issues.
tl;dr They're good if you do them right and ideally if they don't totally change the way your car drives. Try to stick to swaps that have been done a number of times before and you'll have a better time
