There are certain cars enthusiasts consider great candidates for aftermarket modifications, and there are also some models that don’t take too kindly to mods.
Updated August 2021: Whether you've modified cars yourself or you're just curious about what goes into a proper car build, you'll be pleased to know that we've updated this article in order to better show you which cars make for great projects and which are probably best avoided.
The best candidates are incredibly easy to mod, even if the owner wants to go all out and turn it into a one-of-a-kind show stopper. These cars include some of the most legendary vehicles in the world, such as the Subaru Impreza, Toyota Supra, Ford Mustang, and Mazda RX7. Those cars that aren't mod-friendly are usually ticking time bombs, or at least they'll turn into one once modified.
The following covers both the best cars you can modify as well as the worst ones. While some might be controversial in terms of ease of modification or reliability, these are the cars we’ve deemed the easiest and worst to mod.
20 Best: Subaru BRZ/Toyota GT86/Scion FR-S
Whichever brand you go for, this is a car that took the sports car world by storm. Toyota and Subaru brought to the market a lightweight front-engine rear-wheel-drive car that wasn’t extremely powerful but handled like a dream.
The Toyobaru hasn't just given the car scene a breath of fresh air, it’s also one of the easiest cars to modify. Considering the nearly unlimited aftermarket support for this platform, we always know we can find the parts we desire with a simple online search.
19 Worst: Geo Metro
The Geo Metro has a slew of problems that made a bad name for the car and the brand in general. However, it didn’t stop some people from trying to turn it into something it wasn't — fast and reliable.
Its underpowered engine was extremely prone to failure, which ruled out nearly any modification involving the engine. This, along with very few options in the aftermarket, gave the Geo Metro a less than the ideal ability for mods.
18 Best: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution is a car that has built a name for itself through various mediums. Originally, the Evo was used for rally racing, which quickly turned toward circuit racing, and street racing alike. The latest version of the Mitsubishi Evolution introduced a different appeal to the chassis and still remains one of the easiest cars to modify.
There's no shortage of aftermarket support offered for the Lancer Evo, and the car has a huge community of fans and owners in case you need help. These factors give the Evo an edge over the other sports cars on the market.
17 Worst: Chrysler PT Cruiser
A car that’s always been odd is the Chrysler PT Cruiser. Despite the negative feedback from both owners and journalists, Chrysler still went ahead and made a turbo version of the car, which used an engine based on the one found in the SRT4 Neon of the time.
Many attempted to modify these cars and, for with a handful of remarkable exceptions, they left a lot to be desired. Unfortunately, despite the superior engine it eventually ended up with, the PT Cruiser was generally a disaster to work on and modify, which is why you won't find many aftermarket parts for it today.
16 Best: Toyota Supra
Another legendary vehicle among the tuning community is the Toyota Supra. We regularly see this car with over 1,000 horsepower, which is absolutely insane. Today, the 5th-gen Supra is available at dealerships, but the Supra made a name for itself through the previous models: the MKIII and MKIV.
The MKIV Supra has a huge advantage when it comes to mods and aftermarket parts due to its 2JZ engine. This engine is so mod friendly in fact, it's been transplanted into dozens of other car models on the market.
15 Worst: Ford Thunderbird
The Ford Thunderbird is a legendary car, but this generation was nothing but a massive disappointment. It ended up being a total flop for the brand, and it sure didn't pack of the performance that the earlier models had. Having an underpowered engine meant the Thunderbird was a less than ideal platform for modification. In fact, there isn’t really an aftermarket scene for these at all.
14 Best: Ford Mustang
Heading back to the domestic market, we're going to look at the Ford Mustang. The latest versions have been some of the best American cars ever made. Sure, nostalgic purists may want some classic muscle instead, but in the real world, the modern day Mustang is head and shoulders above them. Whether it's the turbocharged 2.3-liter EcoBoost or the full-fat GT, it's highly tunable and can be turned into a proper blue-collar supercar slayer. The aftermarket support available to the Mustang is unmatched by any other domestic car.
13 Worst: Ford Mustang SN95
Contrary to the wild success of the current model of the Ford Mustang, we did end up seeing a flop in the SN95 Mustang, which was the predecessor to the S550 Mustang we touched on earlier. This car, despite being very popular, didn’t see many aftermarket options.
Reliability issues coupled with the challenge of finding aftermarket parts for the car didn’t make it mod-friendly, which continued to hurt the car in the long run. Fortunately, we did get an improvement in the S550, but that doesn’t fully redeem the Mustang from being a bad car.
12 Best: Mazda RX7
For decades, the Mazda RX7 has been one of the best cars on the market. With a rotary-powered, lightweight and well-balanced chassis, the RX7 is one of the easiest cars to mod. This car, despite its questionable reliability, has gained accolades unmatched by any other car in history.
From being one of the fastest cars around the circuit, to breaking records on the drag strip, the RX7 has proven time and again that it's a tuner's dream. With tens of thousands of fans around the globe, the RX7 has plenty of aftermarket support to make your car stand out even more from the crowd.
11 Worst: Dodge Caliber
In a time of desperation for Dodge, they released the Dodge Caliber. While this car might have been ahead of the curve in regards to the trends in hot hatches, the Caliber missed the mark.
Even with the SRT4 version of the Dodge Caliber, you didn’t get many options when it came to modifications. Unfortunately, by the time aftermarket parts companies slowly started to support the platform, the car's production ended.
10 Best: VW Golf GTI
The VW Golf GTI has made waves in the hot hatch market all around the world. The first Golf GTI, sold as the Rabbit in the States, was the OG of hot hatches back in 1976, and the car is now in its 8th generation, with each generation having legions of fans. While it might seem like any other front-wheel-drive hatchback on the market, once you pop the hood on this little beast, you'll see it's a whole different beast.
Through its success on various different circuits and the popularity that it's gained over the course of its production, the Golf GTI is a little car that has a ton of aftermarket support and is, in turn, easy to mod, whether its for looks or performance.
9 Worst: Chevrolet Camaro LT1
One of the most popular cars from Chevrolet is by far the Camaro. This car has gone through many transformations over the years. However, during the 1990s, the LT1 version had a slew of problems and ended up being a nightmare to mod. This car didn’t have the signature LS series motor, rather the LT motor, which was unfortunately somewhat unreliable. This car was a headache for anyone that tried to add more power to the car, as engine problems were extremely likely in any version.
8 Best: Honda Civic
Our next car on the list might be a bit of a cringe-worthy car for some enthusiasts, but you can't deny the absolute ease of modifying the Honda Civic. Since it began production, the Honda Civic has been a car people around the world buy for various reasons. It only helps that Honda has won races on many different circuits with the Civic.
If you ask any person who owns a modified Civic, they will tell you how simple it is to work on these cars. Fortunately, the endless supply of aftermarket parts gives every enthusiast something to seek when it comes to modifying a Honda Civic.
7 Worst: Jaguar XJ
Stepping across the pond, we’re going to look at the Jaguar XJ. At the time of its release, this was one of the most sought after luxury cars. However, that didn’t mean that the car was actually any good. Despite its popularity, the XJ didn’t have many aftermarket options to begin with.
Plus, any time someone attempted to mod these cars, it had a ton of engine issues. This didn’t give anyone confidence when it came to modifying the car. We all want a car that will continue to be reliable right? In fact, even from the factory, the XJ had reliability issues.
6 Best: Subaru WRX STI
Since the 1990s, the Subaru WRX STI has been one of the most powerful sports cars in its price range. The all-wheel-drive, turbocharged sedan has always been one of the best platforms for modifications.
The WRX STI is a car that Subaru specifically designed with rally racing in mind. This gives the car outstanding performance from the factory. Plus, with the aftermarket support, this car is nothing short of amazing when it comes to its performance and modifications.
5 Worst: Dodge Stratus
Another car from Dodge to make the list is the Dodge Stratus. This car has always been one that's odd to look at. Despite offering a more powerful R/T version of the car, it was never easy to modify, and the fact that the car didn’t have much aftermarket support certainly didn't help.
While there is a void in the aftermarket support for the Stratus, there are a few modified versions around, but they are few and far between. It's not a big loss though, as the Dodge Stratus isn’t a car that we’d ever want to see modified, even though it's unique.
4 Best: Honda S2000
Another Honda that has been one of the winningest cars in history on the world's many racing circuits is the Honda S2000. It's, by far, one of the best cars to modify. This, along with its powerful 4-cylinder engine, has made this car one that’s extremely difficult to match.
Alongside the amazing community that's built around the Honda aftermarket scene, the S2000 has been at the forefront of many different records. Plus, being a Honda makes it naturally easy to work on when it comes to any sort of mod you can think of.
3 Worst: Toyota Celica GT4
The Toyota Celica GT4 is a car that's known for being a rally legend. It ended up continuously being a competitor when it came to Rally and RallyCross events. To this day this car is still a sought after vehicle.
It was one of the worst cars to work on and mod, however. This car didn’t make anything easy, especially when it came to maintenance. When you have a car that's already hard to work on, you never want to go out of your way to mod it. That's why the aftermarket support for this generation of Toyota Celica is nearly non-existent.
2 Best: Mazda Miata (MX-5)
Here to round off our easiest cars to mod is the Mazda Miata. This car might be one of the lowest powered cars on this list, however, power is not what the Miata is all about, it has many other things to offer. Thanks to its superb handling, the Miata has been one of the best cars available for autocross and circuit racing since it first appeared in 1989.
There are even Miata racing only series that take place throughout the world, simply because the Miata is one of the best cars that Mazda has ever made. Keeping in mind its accolades, the Miata has surely made a name for itself, as proven by its immense aftermarket support.
1 Worst: Mini Cooper
Rounding off our list is another car that comes from across the pond: the Mini Cooper. This car is always going to be popular, mainly due to its role in pop culture movies like The Italian Job. However, it does come with some problems.
While the Mini has an absolutely mahoosive aftermarket, which makes it a piece of cake to modify, it also has more than its fair share of issues. There are gearbox problems, electrical gremlins, engine troubles, the list goes on. Those desperate to own one should aim to get a facelift version of the 1st-gen Mini (2004-2006), or a brand-new one with a warranty, as the rest are known for their sketchy reliability... at best.
Sources: Car and Driver, Top Speed, Motor Trend, Street Toyota, Car Magazine, BattleAero