Engine replacement source and do’s/dont’s?

[MonLand]

2012 autobahn GTI (CBFA engine).

Engine threw a rod, block is cracked.
Body has 120K miles.

Thinking about getting a < 120K mile engine.
Where would you source and NOT source an engine from?
What would you do to the engine before installing it? Dead engine was drinking oil like there is no tomorrow (which, I have to assume, caused its demise over time). My understanding is that this is often due to oil rings stuck with carbon deposits. Does this mean that I’d need to take all pistons out before putting the engine in? Or is there a clean up/free up process I can use to leave all bearings in place (I’d like to not do a full rebuilding).

 

[MrFancypants]

If I were looking for an engine to install myself I'd check with all of the salvage yards within driving distance to save on shipping and hopefully make it more convenient to deal with if the engine turned out to be bad.

Personally I wouldn't bother with removing the pistons to clean anything up as I don't believe these engines aren't prone to failing the way yours did. If you're worried about carbon find some kind of carbon treatment you can just pour into the spark plug holes and allow to sit; with some time it'll all drain through the piston rings and into the crank case (be sure to relubricate the rings the same way before running the engine).

Otherwise I'd spend my time and effort on installing a fresh timing chain assembly and maybe resealing the cam cover if there were any signs of leaks.