How do I go about testing a junkyard motor before I buy it?

[JimmyZ89]

I figured that I would buy a second motor to build my turbo on instead of taking my car off the road to build the stock motor, since my car is my daily driver. A local (to me) u-pull-it junkyard sells complete motors for $250 + $50 core with a 31 day warranty. It's a cheap alternative to buying and shipping a low milage jdm motor. I figured that doing a compression test would give me most of the info about the condition of the block. But what about any other test I can perform before I pull the motor? thanks

[MrwassmanNA2T]

Smell the oil, either on the dipstick or in the oil cap hole. Of course mileage. compression test seems like a good idea.

[RedBeauty84ZX]

Turn the motor over by hand and make sure it has sufficient resistance (makes good compression). Also listen for any out of the ordinary noises while it turns over. Of couse you can always drop the oil pan and take a look but its rather time consuming unless the crossmember is already removed. A compression test would be a good idea. Bring a battery with you and if the car is complete, you should be able to give it a try.