To most people, an easy project car is one that you can work on by yourself without having to hire a professional automotive technician and a car that parts are easy to find for, especially after-market parts. A cheap project car would be one that you can pick up for a decent price. Of course, the problem with that is the cars that you once could have found for under $5,000 are far and few between these days.
They are out there, though, if you take the time to look around, and you do not buy the first one that you see. In this list, are going to go over a few cars below that you can still get for under 10 grand—ones that are in driving condition but may need some work, which is what a project car is all about. You will find some that are perfect for building an extremely powerful muscle car as well as some incredible sports cars.
10 1985-1991 Honda CRX
The Honda CRX is a sports car that received its roots from the Civic. The drivetrain was used across the platform, but the CRX was designed with unique outer styling and an interior set up for two. There were numerous engines installed under the hoods of these economical sports cars, and the transmission that came paired to them was either the five-speed manual or the four-speed automatic. Any combination will work as a sports car build.
The Honda CRX is not so old that it is hard to find parts for, and since it is a fairly common car, repairs and upgrades will not cost you an arm and a leg. The one big problem with these cars is that the tuner world gobbles these cars up as soon as they are put up for sale. When you do manage to find one, though, you can expect to pay anywhere from $4,000 on up to $10,000. Recent auctions show that it is possible to pick one up even cheaper than that, with one going for as little as $3,200.
9 1985-1990 Chevrolet Camaro
The most popular muscle car built is the Z28 or Iroc-Z cars that already have beefed-up engines. If you can find these cheap then by all means grab them up, otherwise we are going to talk about the basic Chevy Camaro that most people overlook. The thing is that most of them came off the production lines with a 173-hp V6, but when you look at the production numbers there were more ordered with the V8 than with the smaller V6.
Either way that you go, or that you can find, will give you a great base for a muscle car. The V6 can be built to push you down the road, or it can be swapped out for a bigger eight-cylinder engine that can put out more power and torque. And of course, the V8 can be upgraded to be even bigger and better. The cars are still common enough to have parts ready when needed, and they usually don't cost more than a few thousand dollars. Current auctions show that the average sales price is around $8,250 so they are still well within reach for most of us.
8 2004-2012 Mazda RX-8
The Mazda RX-8 is a unique type of sports car. It uses Mazda's old-school Wankel rotary engine with just 1.3 liters of displacement. The problem with this type of engine is that it does not perform until the RPMs go over four thousand or so. This makes it a great sports car when it is already moving, but it can be slow from a dead stop.
The RX-8 is a car that you either love or you hate. There is not an in-between when it comes to the rotary engine. It is a sports car right out of the gate, though, so upgrades are easily accessible. Any parts that you may need can be picked up at your local auto parts store, or they can be ordered from online sites that specialize in high-performance parts. The auctions show that this car can be bought for right around $6,000, as the value suggests.
7 1995-2004 Ford Mustang
The Mustang after the Fox Body is not one of the most popular choices for a muscle car, which is of course why it makes a great project car. The earlier years may have a 5.0L V8 under the hood, while the base model for the majority of them came with a smaller V6. They both make for a decent starting point, and if you prefer the V6 there are parts and pieces made to improve the power. The V8 is obviously the 5.0L that can be upgraded to produce some stellar power and torque.
The parts for these cars are easy to come by, and they are a snap to work on. The Mustang is an iconic muscle car that is common enough to find aftermarket high-performance parts, and since the 5.0L is such a common engine parts can be borrowed from other cars when needed. These cars are valued starting at around $4,900, and they go up from there. Current auctions show that they can be nabbed up for an average price of $8,600.
6 2003-2009 Nissan 350Z
Everyone has heard of Nissan's famous Z car lineup. The Nissan 350Z is a 2000s version of the iconic sports car that has been around since the early ‘70s, or even before that if you consider the Fairlady Z. All the cars during this generation came out of the factory with a 3.5L V6 paired with a five-speed automatic or a six-speed manual. The 350Z is a two-seat car designed for performance straight from the factory, with room for improvements.
Nissan is a popular automobile manufacturer, so you can bet that parts are easy to acquire for the Nissan 350Z. Since it is already a proven sports car, performance upgrades are a dime a dozen, making it an easy project car. The average value of this car is listed as $8,800 for a drivable car with some issues. The auctions show that this car can go for as little as $7,700 but the majority go for substantially more. To get this car at an affordable price, you will have to be on your toes and be patient. Wait for one to come up at a decent price and then jump on it.
5 2006-2010 Dodge Charger
The Dodge Charger is another muscle car that we are all familiar with. The sixth generation of this car came with four doors and stock with a V6, so it's commonly overlooked by most muscle car enthusiasts. However, that's exactly why it is the perfect pick for a project car. The R/T car is the one that you need to look for because they came stock with the 340-hp 5.7 Hemi. It is fast as is but has so much room for improvement. It is a Hemi, after all.
You may think that this car does not sell for cheap, but if you look at its value appraisals, you will definitely be surprised. A drivable trade-in goes for around three thousand and has an average sale price of $6,825. The auctions show very little action, so you will need to check for local private sellers, but as a reference point, the last logged auction shows the car selling for $5,985.
4 1990-1997 Mazda Miata
The Mazda Miata is a small two-seater sports car that used to be one of the best-selling sports cars on the road. Now, they have mostly been forgotten, being looked over for the more common sports cars on the road. It is a front mid-engine car with a naturally aspirated four-cylinder, with a few of them coming off the production lines with superchargers. They are not meant for muscle, but when it comes to performance on open roads full of curves, not much can compare.
The Miata is valued much higher than the latest auction sales prices show. A drivable car is listed at $6,800 with the better versions priced above ten thousand. The auctions, on the other hand, show cars going for as little as $2,100, with the average coming in at around $7,254. This is the one car on this list that you may have some trouble finding parts, but if nothing else they can be ordered online. You just may have to wait a bit before adding performance parts onto it.
3 1993-2000 Lexus SC 300/400
The Lexus SC was designed and marketed to be a sports coupe, but with the speed that these cars can achieve, they can hang with the muscle cars of today. This makes for an exciting project car because you can build it for power, performance, or both. Even if you lean one way or the other, it will still be able to go the other way. They come with a 4.3L V8, so they are all set up to go, and it makes a perfect car to modify.
The important thing about this is that you can get these cars for around $4,000. The high-end value of these cars barely breaks the $10,000 mark. The auctions show that you can pick this car up for around $8,150, but they can go for as little as $3,850. Since this is a Lexus, you may have to order parts online to upgrade and improve it, but that is what the world is coming to anyway.
2 2000-2005 Mitsubishi Eclipse
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The Mitsubishi Eclipse is a sports car designed with two things in mind. Performance and affordability. The third-generation cars are the ones that you will want to search for because they came with an option of a V6. That, along with the improved suspension systems, makes this a perfect pick for a project car. If you put a little time and money into it, you may be able to hit the quarter miles strips and put up some good times.
The remarkable thing about the Mitsubishi Eclipse is that they are valued extremely low. The high value of the car is around $4,000. The low-end cars that run, but need help, are only valued at $1,350. When you look at recent auctions, though, you will see that they are actually going for $3,000 when they come up for sale. Your best bet would be to find one through a private seller, so you do not have to wait for one to be put on the block.
1 1992 Acura Integra GS-R
The Acura Integra GS-R is an impressive sports car straight out of the shoot. It came with a naturally aspirated four-cylinder that was the top of the line for its class in the early ‘90s. If you have ever driven one of these, you will know how smooth and responsive this engine is, and the ride quality is at the top of the curve when it comes to any of its rivals in the same class.
This car has such a low value that we are not going to even waste the time listing it here. What matters are the auction results over the last few years, and they show what you would expect from an Acura. The lowest cost that shows up is a sale for $10,000 and the ones that are more recent are even higher than that. But you can always keep your eyes open and wait for a reasonably priced example to pop up.
Final Thoughts
In the end, the perfect project car will differ for every buyer, their needs, likes, and preferences. Some are meant to swoosh around corners like they're on rails, and others are meant to rocket down the round with such velocity that you are pushed back into your seat the whole trip. When you get lucky, you can find a car that is a part of both worlds.
The newer models coming out today far outshine anything that we have seen throughout the past decades. A sports car can now hang with the big dogs of the streets, and a high-powered muscle car can drift around corners like it was meant to be a sports car. New models may be a little high-priced for us for a little longer, but finding a decent valued project car can be an easy task if you go with one of them listed here. There are other decent choices out there for under ten grand, but if you stick with these, you can not go wrong.