In the automotive world, fewer things can give a gearhead more satisfaction than working on a project car. Building a project car is an important rite of passage that not only teaches you about the inner workings of a vehicle, but also helps you appreciate the whole automaking process.
Any gearhead who has worked on a project car will tell you that it can quickly get expensive, which is why it's important to find a cheap one in the used cars market so that you're left with a sufficient budget to splash on the coolest mods available. Let's explore ten affordable cars that make excellent project cars.
10 Datsun 280Z - $10,000
While the 240Z and 260Z can fetch a pretty penny at the auction floor, the 280Z remains within reach for most gearheads. However, you don't lose much by settling for the 280Z. For starters, you still get one of the best-looking Japanese cars of all time.
You also get a 2.8-liter inline-six under the hood with 170 hp on tap. This doesn't sound like much, but thanks to strong aftermarket support, you can boost it to insane levels.
9 BMW E30 - $15,100
The first thing that comes to mind when 'BMW' is mentioned is its strong lineup of luxury sedans. The 3-Series is one of the main reasons why BMW has established itself as one of the top luxury sedan manufacturers, particularly the legendary E30 generation.
The E30 is as close as it gets to a perfect luxury sedan. It has a great design that's instantly recognizable around the world, a luxurious interior, and solid build quality. With over 2 million E30s produced and many of them still on the road today, you'll never struggle to find parts and mods.
8 Mitsubishi 3000GT - $8,600
The '90s gave us some of the greatest Japanese sports cars of all time, including the Honda NSX, Mazda RX-7 FD, Toyota Supra Mk4, and Nissan GT-R R32, to name a few. The Mitsubishi 3000GT also deserves to be mentioned alongside these greats, as it was just as awesome.
The 3000GT won over our hearts with its fantastic design and powerful 3.0-liter V6 engine. The base 3000GT is still affordable, and it's fairly easy to find high-quality parts and mods since it shares components with the American version - the Dodge Stealth.
7 Porsche 944 - $8,900
In the '80s, Porsche tried to capture the entry-level sports car market by building several front-engined coupes. The 944 is one of these cars, and it's arguably the best.
The 944 was successful thanks to one winning formula - a sleek design, affordable price tag, Porsche's advanced engineering, and 205-hp four-cylinder engine. Porsche sold over 160,000 944s, which is why it's one of the cheapest Porsches.
6 Nissan 350Z - $11,800
Another car in the iconic Nissan Z series that makes a great project car is the 350Z. The 350Z debuted in the early 2000s to replace the 300ZX. It had many upgrades over its predecessor, most notably in the design department.
The 350Z also had one of Toyota's greatest engines - a 3.5-liter VQ35DE V6 cranking out 287 horses and 274 lb-ft of torque. The 350Z has been among the most popular Japanese sports cars in the US over the last two decades and enjoys strong aftermarket support as a result.
5 Jeep Wrangler TJ - $17,600
Long before SUVs became popular in the US, Jeep was already selling the Wrangler in large numbers. The Wrangler debuted in the '80s and instantly impressed gearheads with its rugged design and ability to tackle off-road terrains.
If you're interested in starting a Wrangler project, your best bet would be to get the second-generation model as it's still affordable. The second-generation Wrangler comes with a 4.0-liter inline-six engine and a much improved coil-spring suspension. Having been in production for the last 35 years, there's plenty of aftermarket support for the Wrangler.
4 1965-1973 Ford Mustang - $15,000
In the '60s, Ford built arguably its greatest model ever - the Mustang. The Mustang was developed to take on the then-new muscle car market, and although it wasn't the first muscle car, it's widely considered to be the main reason why muscle cars are popular worldwide.
First-generation Mustangs make excellent project cars. They're cheap - well, if you avoid special editions like the Shelby GT500 - reliable and have the classic muscle car aesthetic we all love.
3 2006-2010 Dodge Charger SRT8 - $14,800
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The Dodge Charger made a triumphant return in 2006 after a long 20-year absence. The 2006 Charger caused a lot of debate when it debuted, largely thanks to its design. Some gearheads absolutely hated the new Charger's design, while others thought it was a great interpretation of modern muscle car design.
One thing that people agreed on was that the sixth-gen Charger was powerful, particularly the top-of-the-range SRT8. The SRT8 had a massive 6.1-liter Hemi V8 rated at 425 hp and 420 lb-ft of torque, making it superfast.
2 Volkswagen Golf GTI MkII - $8,100
The Golf is undoubtedly one of Volkswagen's greatest cars. The Golf was developed to replace the Beetle, and it ended up being just as iconic. The Golf is adored worldwide for its practicality, reliability, affordability, and if you have the high-performance GTI version, thrills behind the wheel.
First-generation Golf GTIs have skyrocketed in value, but the second-generation model is still affordable. Despite being decades old, the second-generation Golf GTI is still one of the most fun-to-drive hot hatches you can drive.
1 Chevrolet Corvette C4 - $6,500
The C4 Corvette caused a huge wave of excitement across the auto industry when it debuted in the '80s. After a terrible third generation, every gearhead wanted to see if the new generation was going to be an improvement.
Chevy didn't disappoint. The C4 had a new design that looked great, and unlike its predecessor, even the base model had up to 250 hp to play with. The best thing about the C4 Corvette is that you can still find a decent example for less than $10,000.