Every gearhead dreams of one day owning the perfect car. Whether it's a pickup truck that can go anywhere and do anything or a tiny coupe that's perfect for canyon running, the single-car dream never gets too far from the thoughts of everyone who loves driving.
Updated January 2022: Whether you're looking for a performance-oriented build or something that will impress everyone else on the road, we have updated this list with some more excellent project cars that both respond well to tuning and boast amazing aftermarket support when it comes to cheap parts.
Many of the cars being produced by today's automotive manufacturing giants are a combination of disappointing, strange-looking, and underpowered, and just about every gearhead has grown up surrounded by the cars they love from an early age. Those model years that were awesome during formative times often become the focus of automotive dreams. Those dreams usually get put on the back-burner, though, because not everyone has a garage, a lift, a backyard, or the time and knowledge to keep an older car running reliably, much less well.
But the dream of having a project car lives on, regardless. And for those lucky few who are able to take one on, either hoping to perform a restoration to cherry condition or start up a major tuning and modding build, keep scrolling for 25 great cars that are made to be modified and represent the perfect introduction into the project car lifestyle.
25 R53 And R56 Mini Cooper
The Mini has grown a lot ever since BMW took over, but it has also gained plenty of followers around the world. Being one of the most popular hatchbacks on the market, the Mini has an astonishingly huge aftermarket. Pretty much any upgrade a gearhead could possibly want already exists. This is, of course, to be expected, as the Mini is as much a style icon and fashion accessory as it is a car.
There are the usual basic upgrades, such as wheels and bucket seats, but also more specialist parts, such as big brake kits, coilover suspension, upgraded turbos and superchargers, even Liberty Walk widebody kits.
24 W204 Mercedes-Benz C Class
Coming out of left-field is the Mercedes-Benz C class. It's not a car that's particularly common on the tuning and modifying scene, but that doesn't mean it doesn't make for a great project. After all, AMG has turned this thing into a real beast, so clearly, there's plenty of potential here for gearheads that want to cruise in style.
There are lots of upgrades readily available, such as carbon fiber splitters, trunk lips, and diffusers, fancy rims, and upgraded suspension. However, the beauty of modifying the Benz is that many parts from the AMG are a direct fit, making it possible to create something truly unique by mixing and matching parts.
23 Nissan 350Z
The 350Z is the all-around king of affordable Japanese performance cars. With decent models available well under the $10,000 mark, its 287-hp V6 still delivers a serious punch and offers plenty of room for tuning without changing the internals.
The 350Z offers a great balance of aesthetics and performance, with tons of aftermarket support be it for components or external body modifications. It may be a bit cliche, but it's still among the coolest tuners out there.
22 1993 Pontiac Firebird
This particular generation of the Firebird is one of the coolest yet most underrated American performance cars of the '90s. Aside from a 5.7L V8 producing 275 horsepower under the hood, the models also have surprisingly responsive handling and tons of aftermarket support.
21 Honda Civic And CRX
We'd feel remiss if we failed to include the Civic in this list. These cheap but reliable cars have been the staple of tuner culture for over three decades now and have only gotten better due to the amount of aftermarket support available for them.
And while you have over three decades of Civic models to choose from, the cheapest project car option would probably be the 1989-1990 Civic, which also happens to be the most recognizable.
20 First-Generation Chevrolet Camaro
While plenty of muscle car lovers will instinctively turn to the first generation of the Ford Mustang when they want to start their first project, Chevrolet's first-generation Camaro is an equally good choice. In fact, with so many crate engines available from Chevy, and a bit more of an aggressive exterior, a Camaro might be perfect for those gearheads looking for more of a performance-oriented build. That long hood makes wrenching on the engine relatively easy (unlike more modern cars with more complex engine bays) and the iconic style of the Camaro is never a bad thing to see roaming the streets.
19 Ford Mustang First-Gen
The first generation of the Ford Mustang can be a great starting point for either a restoration or performance-focused project. The iconic pony car (often thought of as a muscle car these days) is fairly simple to work on, with extensive support available both online and through any regular parts store. Dropping in a crate engine might not necessarily be the best thing to do (though it's not a terrible idea) until the Mustang has received a thorough once-over and some beefed-up suspension, but with only a little work, even a bottom-bucket Mustang found on Craigslist for cheap can become a fun car to look at and to drive.
18 C3 Chevrolet Corvette
The Corvette is this country's only factory model that can truly be thought of as a supercar, but as such, the serious performance of the Corvette's later generations have yet to depreciate enough for the average used car buyer. Thankfully, the C3 (third-generation) Corvette has arguably the best style of all but the iconic C2 era, and with a long hood that can fit any number of different sizes of V8, home mechanics can feel pretty confident that they'll be able to make up for the failings that Chevy built into the model from the factory. Plus, they're some of the biggest sports car bargains right now and easy to find.
17 Datsun 240Z
The Datsun 240Z is the direct predecessor to today's Nissan 370Z—and anytime a model directly spawns so many generations over so many decades, it's a great sign that the original was something truly special. A unicorn 240Z might cost a pretty penny, but beat-up used examples are great project cars that combine iconic long hood style, neutral balance, and mechanical simplicity. Keep an eye out for rust while shopping around, but other than that, just about any 240Z is a great place to start for either a restoration job or a seriously sporty build complete with a big V8, fender flares, and a roll cage.
16 Ford Mustang Fox Body
The ridiculously wide rear tires on this Mustang reveal exactly what makes the Fox Body such a great starting point for a home project: namely, that anything is attainable underneath that classic 1980s exterior.
Ford built the third generation of the Mustang with a range of engine options and even modified some examples from the factory in a tough enough spec for use as police cruisers. With up to a 5.0-liter V8 coming stock, this generation of Mustang can be worked up to some pretty serious power without having to worry too much about the rest of the mechanicals being unable to keep up. Fox Body Mustangs also tend to look amazing when modified.
15 996 Porsche 911
Possibly the best overall deal on the used sports car market right now is a well-maintained Porsche 911 of the 996 generation. The 996 occupies a low end of the depreciation curve thanks to the fact that it's the first 911 with a water-cooled engine, its interior is a little less luxurious than expected, and of course, the infamous IMS bearing fiasco. But a 996 that's had the clutch and IMS replaced (and the rear main seal, as well) is one of the most reliable cars on the market right now, and with horsepower hovering right around 300 from a Variocam flat-six engine, there's plenty of grunt to go with the model's light curb weight.
14 1990s And 2000s Subaru WRX
Subaru has gained a rabid following over the years partially because of their legendary rally success and partially because their cars always seem to reach the perfect blend of performance, utility, and affordability. A Subaru WRX (or better yet, STI) is a bit more of an advanced project to take on due to the relatively complex engine bay layout which has to balance the shape of a Boxer engine and an intercooled turbocharger, but with plenty of help available in the form of online forums—plus cheap factory and aftermarket parts availability—the higher end Imprezas make a great way to learn about cars while enjoying a daily driver that's equally at home driving hard and fast or up the mountain to the ski slopes.
13 1St And 2Nd Gen Audi TT
The earlier years of the Audi TT make a great starting point for a modding and tuning project. Audi packed a good amount of horsepower into the little coupe to go along with its unique style, but there's a lot of potential to be found, even still. The TT also shares plenty of parts with its contemporary Volkswagen Golf and Beetle siblings, making aftermarket support both readily available and relatively affordable. Throw on a few suspension modifications, especially an upgraded rear sway bar to compensate for nose-end weight, an ECU tune, and the project is already well underway.
12 Porsche 912
Up into the higher budget for sports car projects is a model that was generally reviled by the industry until only the last few years. And while plenty of enthusiasts might still think the 912 is just a VW-powered, cheap 911, in reality some subtle differences in geometry can make a sorted 912 quite a canyon carver. Starting with Porsche's perfect exterior, simple (and surprisingly roomy) interior, and eminently wrenchable mechanics, a 912 can easily turn into a nimble little sports car or a showstopper, all while the 912's engine doesn't hang off the rear end as far as a 911's, making for more predictable handling under hard cornering.
11 Subaru Legacy GT
The Legacy GT might be Subaru's best-kept secret (other than the fact that the manufacturer actually kept the WRX and STI iterations of the first Impreza out of the United States). Sharing much of its powertrain with the STI, the Legacy GT manages to display a bit more adult style on the exterior. But just like a WRX or STI, the combination of powerful, turbocharged Boxer engine and Subaru's legendary all-wheel drive make the Legacy GT a serious performer, and one that can be had in a full-sized station wagon body. Even the interior is put together with a higher quality level than the Imprezas, making the Legacy GT a great way to start a cheap, used project.
10 Nissan 240SX
Like its distant successor, the 350Z, the 240SX is an icon in the world of tuner cars. And like its newer counterpart, it owes its fame to being one of the best cars for drifting. Granted, these models may be more popular in Japan than they are in the US. Still, the 240SX boasts a nearly perfect weight balance and its sturdy chassis can handle just about anything you throw under the hood.
Fans of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift may feel sad that they'll never get the "Mona Lisa of Drifting" here in the United States, but for consolation, Nissan did ship the 240SX across the Pacific and the model can make a great leaping off point for a quick drifting project.
That said, finding one of these cars at an affordable price may be a bit of a challenge due to the "drift tax" that's imposed on the cars and their parts, meaning they're so popular for drifting that their prices have started to skyrocket.
9 E30 BMW 325ix
These days, the first generation of BMW's M3 has already climbed way out of reach for most sports car enthusiasts. But the S14 engine powering the E30 M3 was actually a four-cylinder unit (albeit a pretty impressive one) while many of the E30s around today featured straight-sixes under the hood. Probably one of the most underrated BMWs of all time happens to be an E30, as well, the 325ix. Available in both coupe and sedan forms, the 325ix also had all-wheel drive and some subtle fender flares—and best of all, they can be found for super cheap on the used car market.
8 Mazda Miata - All Generations
The Mazda Miata is the quintessential car for anyone looking to enjoy the old maxim saying that it's more fun to drive a slow car fast. Ever since the beginning, Mazda has kept the Miata (or MX-5's) recipe simple: light weight, rear-wheel drive, and reasonable power. No Miata is going to scorch anyone off the line without serious modifications, but for the price, there are few cars that can be tossed into a corner with the degree of confidence that the Miata offers. Dirt cheap on the secondhand market, even reasonably maintained Miatas can be subtly modified to improve everything they're already good at—and a bit more power is fairly easy to coax out, as well.
7 Acura Integra
The Acura Integra is widely regarded as being perhaps the best front-wheel-drive sports car of all time. While Type R Integras are quickly approaching ridiculous values, a normal Integra still has plenty to offer anyone looking for a cheap, reliable car with a bit of performance potential. A peppy engine, excellent handling, and simple design make the Integra fun to live with on a daily basis, and widely available aftermarket and factory parts make it easy to work on, as well. With so many on the roads, prices for used Integras in non-Type R spec will always stay low enough for beginning just about any build.
6 E36 BMW 325i
Much like the E30 generation before it, the E36 helped to solidify BMW's reputation as a producer of great sports cars. Even an E36-generation M3 can be found for pretty cheap, but for a real ground-up project, it's hard to beat a dirt-cheap 325is. With impeccable balance, a reasonably powerful inline-six engine featuring Vanos valve timing, rear-wheel drive, and plenty of forums, websites, and parts suppliers online, either a drift car or a sublime daily driver are equally attainable. The best bet is to find one cheap, fix up the cooling system, strip the interior, and get to work mastering tight corners at high speeds.