I'm A High Schooler Looking For A Cheap Project Car! What Should I Buy?

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Xavier lives successful Michigan, and dissimilar astir high-school kids who for illustration to hide themselves into a screen, he wants to heavy dive into a task car. With a $5,000 fund and a request for speed, what car should he buy?

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Here is nan scenario.

I'll support this short and sweet. I unrecorded successful Michigan. I'm 16 and I want a sports car for nether 5000 that I tin activity on. I for illustration musculus cars...looking for thing accelerated and moddable. Ideally, rear instrumentality thrust aliases AWD, manual trans.

Quick Facts:

Budget: $5,000

Location: Michigan

Daily Driver: Yes

Wants: Fast, cheap, moddable

Doesn't want: Something slow

Craigslist

Ok Xavier, I deliberation I speak for each my colleagues astatine Jalopnik erstwhile I opportunity we are each excited erstwhile a young personification still wants to support that gearhead dream alive. People who still want to wrench are a dying breed. Of course, nan situation is uncovering thing astatine that value constituent that isn't a full handbasket case.

While inexpensive rides aren't my area of expertise, I did travel crossed this 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Cobra convertible pinch an awesome database of mods for only $6,000. I stake if you scrounged up different $500 you could astir apt make a woody pinch this feline arsenic he seems motivated to move it. According to nan ad, nan car only has 65,000 miles. However, it does travel pinch a "rebuilt title," but if you are readying to mod it, that astir apt doesn't matter each that much. The seller claims nan motor is "knocking," but nan car "still runs well." So, this could either beryllium an opportunity to person personification other sorb immoderate of your modification costs, aliases it could beryllium a never-ending nightmare project....only 1 measurement to find out.

I cognize you said you're into musculus cars, and there's plentifulness of those to take from successful Michigan. I almost steered you towards a Mazda Miata, arsenic I regular drove 1 a beat-up, rallycross-prepped NA successful Detroit for a mates years and it was amazing. But I recovered thing moreover better: A 1986 Pontiac Fiero SE. 

But not conscionable immoderate Fiero, no, this 1 is gold, pinch matching golden wheels, and a golden interior. How tin you perchance apical that? Sure, it mightiness not person a V8 for illustration nan Mustangs aliases Camaros you're astir apt besides looking at, but its V6 motor is mounted successful nan mediate and attached to a manual transmission.

The value is somewhat complete your budget, but it looks for illustration this point is successful awesome condition. I mean, conscionable look astatine nan value of nan seats and different interior components. I situation you to find different '80s Pontiac successful this benignant of style for moreover adjacent to this price. It's sewage 104,000 miles connected nan clock, which really ain't bad, and nan seller — who has owned it for 26 years! — says it "Runs & Drives Great" and is "Well taken Care of." I'm inclined to judge them. I can't deliberation of thing cooler for a 16-year-old to drive.

Buddy, you should beryllium for illustration everyone other successful your precocious schoolhouse people and conscionable bargain immoderate benignant of Ford Mustang. That's astir apt nan smart point to do if you want to spell nan safe way toward getting everything connected your wish database for astir $5,000. The only point is, you reached retired to Jalopnik, which intends you aren't for illustration everyone other successful your precocious schoolhouse class, which intends you request thing acold stupider than an aged Mustang. What you request is this Chrysler Crossfire manual.

All successful all, it's not truthful bad. In its 19 years of life and 3 owners, this black-on-gray beauty (yes, I emotion really nan Crossfire looks) has only sustained immoderate insignificant damage. Other than that, it looks beautiful good taken attraction of for having astir 150,000 miles connected nan clock. Sure, there's immoderate condensation down nan passenger-side headlight, and bits of trim are coming disconnected inside, but it's your first car — I deliberation — and it costs little than $5,500. What do you want? At slightest its progressive spoiler seems to beryllium working. Well, astatine slightest it seems to beryllium stuck successful its "happy to spot you" position.I cognize this car won't beryllium arsenic accelerated arsenic a modded Mustang GT, but pinch its 3.2-liter Mercedes-Benz V6 producing 215 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque, it could still get from 0-60 successful nan debased 6.0-second range. That ain't excessively bad. Plus, location are plentifulness of ways to mod this centrifugal and chassis to compression a spot much retired of it.

Be interesting. Enter nan Crossfire.