There is nothing wrong with the 250, just avoid the ones with the "integral" head. A freind of mine put over 200k miles on one in his old nova. He then rebuilt the motor and drove it another 140k before scrapping the car due to rust. Fuel economy was good, usually about 20 mpg in the slo-va. Keep in mind, the 292 is a good truck engine also, very torquey.
