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Anyone have any advice on whether its betterto rebuild the top end on an engine with 245K on it that has burnt valves, or just swap in a used one which will cost around the same price to have done?! Im worried that if the top end is new, with higher compression it might cause more strain on the bottom end and I will have to do that as well in future.... I wonder if its better to take my chances on the used one...

If you plan on swapping out for a newer engine of the same type, then I'd say "swap that joker!"....
Otherwise, the block should be fine....I'd clean it out real good, check for any cracks or signs of strain and if all looks okay then you could also just shoot for the "top end job". You could even reinforce the cylinder walls of the old block, the possibilities are just about endless...

swap in the 2.5L froma probe, gonna cost the same as a top end rebuild but you will gain some very much needed power and most importantly torque

Hmm thing is Im going to use the Mx-3 as a winter car and get a 2000 C5 Z06 for the summer. Im not concerned about performance, more just a reliable car to get to work. The rebuild on the top end will cost me around 800 bucks, which is about the same as it will be for the new motor installed. Difference is, at least with the rebuild, I know its been taken care of, down side is that the bottom end will be the same... already burning a bit of oil. A used motor is appealing, but same thing you are still taking your chances!

Originally posted by Bryan:
The rebuild on the top end will cost me around 800 bucks, which is about the same as it will be for the new motor installed.

That's it? $800? People have paid more than that to get a timing belt/water pump change on our cars.

I presume with this 'rebuild' you're talking about a full gasket replacement since you'd have to replace the head gasket when you pull the heads? That alone, the cheapest I've seen for the K8 is $250 for a full gasket set. That's not including any other parts you might need in this top end rebuild, plus labor. And labor alone just on pulling the intake manifold and replacing that........most places would charge you a few hundred just for that alone, let alone pulling the heads and fixing them afterwards.