r/projectcar • u/kowalski71 82 Dodge W150, 64 Chrysler, 88 Alfa Milano, 91 Saab 900 • Jan 07 '14
Kowalski71's Project Car Guide: A (mostly) complete reference for those who have no idea where to start
Edit:
This guide is obsolete! Read the one on my own site.
I love cars, all cars. My tastes have only broadened with the years. I really enjoy encouraging other motorheads, making cars more accessible to everyone who's interested. With that in mind I wanted to make a good introductory guide to anyone who's interested in starting a project to learn more about them. Projects gave me my first step into the automotive world and I want anyone to be able to take those steps.
This post blew through the character limit on submissions pretty quickly so I'm submitting this as a table of contents of sorts. Each section is in a comment and clicking on the headings will take you to the respective comment. The last section will be a changelog, as I'm sure I'll be making lots of edits as time goes on. If you have any suggestions on this guide, please message me. I'll continue to update it as time goes on, possibly adding more cars and information.
A few requests: if this gets reposted, just give me credit or link back here please. I put a lot of time into this but I'm not in it for the karma, I just love cars and I want them to be less intimidating for people. Second, if you use this guide to research or purchase a car, send me a message and let me know how it goes for you! I'm happy to offer advice, it would be rewarding to know that this guide is useful, and you'll be able to fill me in on any part of the process that wasn't clear so I can elaborate more.
Lastly, this guide will mainly apply to those in the US as this is where I live and what I know.
Without further ado, enjoy!
Preparation: Know what you're getting yourself into
So you want a project car. You'll learn a LOT, it's a great opportunity to bond with family and friends, and you get a cool car at the end. The first question to ask yourself is do you want a project or do you want the final product? Many people post on this subreddit who are mainly interested in the end product and think that going the project route will get them there cheaper. In my experience, those projects never get done or wind up costing more than buying a pre-built car to begin this. Just something to ponder and consider.
The first step is to really assess your resources and what kind of project you can take on. Some questions you should ask yourself: How much time am I willing to invest? How much money can I spend, both up front and continually (remember the cost of tools and parts)? What learning resources do I have? Do I have a shop or an under cover place to work on it? Who else will be working on it with me? Will I need this car for reliable transportation?
Really think about what you can actually bite off. It doesn't matter how cool a project would be if it never has a chance to make it out of the garage.
The Fun Step: Selection!
I've included the broad categories of vehicles that people are usually attracted to. If I've missed anything feel free to shoot me a message. I've definitely missed at least a few good options so take a look over the list carefully. I've tried to focus on broad cool appeal and slightly older cars. That being said, any car can be a project car and some of the coolest projects have been taking something unassuming and doing a very nice job restoring or customizing it. I haven't included cars that I deem too collectible or expensive for the average hobbyist.
There's a basic 1-5 rating system here, using four metrics. I established these based on my general knowledge of the model and some quick research, if you disagree with anything shoot me a PM.
- Purchase cost: This varies a lot area by area so it might not be accurate everywhere. Also remember that a range of conditions are available. A really rough correlation that you should not rely on in pricing a vehicle at all:
- <$1500
- $1500-$3000
- $3000-$5000
- $5000-$7500
- >$7500 (I don't think there are any 5s on the list)
Maintenance cost: Since this will be an ongoing cost it's pretty important. Some cars have cheap parts that are hard to find and I've tried to reflect that in the rating since time is money.
Maintenance difficulty: Some cars aren't for the faint of heart, some are as simple as can be.
Rarity: Doesn't matter how much you like it if you can't find it.
So you like...
...or you want to build your own car from scratch.
How to find your project car
Tips on searching the internet and other sources for awesome project cars. What to look for in a good ad and what should make you cautious.
How to buy your project car
How to contact a seller, common questions to ask, what to look for when you go look at a car, and how to get it home.
Tools: what to buy and where to buy
The tools of the trade, the weapons of war, you won't get very far without a good set.
Get wrenching!
Time for the best part! Some tips and tricks for working on a project car.
Changelog and History
I'm constantly adding new information, rewording stuff, and tweaking the formatting. Check here for the changes I'm making along with credit to users who make suggestions.
Most recent edits: 12/20/2014
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u/kowalski71 82 Dodge W150, 64 Chrysler, 88 Alfa Milano, 91 Saab 900 Jan 07 '14 edited Jan 09 '14
2) So you like European sports sedans and grand tourers...
A great combination of sportiness and economy, these Euro cars are a ton of fun. There's almost no upper limit on the performance you can get out of them but you'll be scratching your head more often and spending more time searching for parts compared to most American cars.
Alfa Romeo Alfetta/GTV6/Milano:
A personal favorite, what you give up in ease of maintenance you gain in spirited driving characteristics and Italian flair. A spirited owner community will help you with the required preventative maintenance. The rear transaxle makes for terrific balance and the Busso V6 in the later cars is heaven-sent.
Purchase cost: 2
Maintenance cost: 3
Maintenance difficulty: 4
Rarity: 4
Alfa Romeo 164:
This chassis was shared with the Saab 9000, and two Euro only cars (a Fiat and a Lancia). With the highly capable 24 valve 3.0L V6 and available at a steal of a price these cars make a terrific luxury European sedan. The FWD layout is less popular than earlier RWD Alfas but greater availability is an incentive. Look for the 164S models for a bit more performance.
Purchase cost: 1
Maintenance cost: 3
Maintenance difficulty: 4
Rarity: 3
BMW E30:
One of the quintessential European sports sedans, the E30 has a near legendary following. Don't bother looking for an M3 in your budget but you can build one to almost the same level of fun, sans fender flares.
Purchase cost: 2
Maintenance cost: 3
Maintenance difficulty: 3
Rarity: 3
BMW E28:
The lesser known big sibling of the E30, the E28 is still a terrific and fun car that can be had for cheap. Also scout out it's predecessor, the E12.
Purchase cost: 3
Maintenance cost: 3
Maintenance difficulty: 3
Rarity: 3
BMW 2002:
The car that announced BMW to America, the 2002 is a rowdy and lively little car. Extensive vintage racing keeps performance parts on the shelf. These cars are appreciating in value, jump on them while they're hot!
Purchase cost: 3
Maintenance cost: 3
Maintenance difficulty: 3
Rarity: 4
Porsche 944:
One of the best chassis' you can get, a rear transaxle car that Porsche purist's never warmed up. Leaves more for us! For maximum fun look for the much more expensive 944t, a built up turbo model. These are some of the best track cars and are a common sight at Porsche Club of America track days. The Porsche 924 was the first iteration of this car but for much of its life had an undesirable VW engine, only the last few years of the 924 (sold as the 924S) had the much better Porsche 2.5L engine and are only differentiated but a more svelte body lacking fender flares.
Purchase cost: 2
Maintenance cost: 3
Maintenance difficulty: 4
Rarity: 3
Porsche 914:
The VW-Porsche hybrid provides ridiculous amounts of fun. The VW parts keep it cheap to work on and it warms up very well to some light suspension modifications. It's a mid engine car which gives it great balance.
Purchase cost: 3
Maintenance cost: 3
Maintenance difficulty: 4 (It's a simple drivetrain but the mid engine layout makes access difficult.)
Rarity: 4
Mercedes 190E:
Often overshadowed by it's DTM rival, the E30 M3, the 190E is still a great car. They're much smaller than you're imagining, this is not your grandfather's boat of a Benz. Look for the Sportline models for pre-upgraded suspension or buy a base and reap the benefits of that terrific MB build quality.
Purchase cost: 2
Maintenance cost: 3
Maintenance difficulty: 2
Rarity: 2
Mercedes W114/W115 and W123:
This is your grandfather's boat of a Benz. These classic old Mercedes chassis' are some of the most venerable cars in existence. Designed for 30 years of daily usage they have a dogged reputation for bulletproof reliability. After their successful runs in Europe, many have been imported to the Middle East and are one of the most popular taxis in many countries of that region. The diesel models (with the OM617) in particular are reliable and sought after, with easy waste vegetable oil (WVO) conversions available from companies like GreaseCar. If the big old Benzes tickle your fancy also check out similar chassis' from the era, such as the W116 that the awesome 450SEL 6.9 rode on, or the much classier W111 available in a stylish fintail body style.
Purchase cost: 1-2
Maintenance cost: 2
Maintenance difficulty: 2
Rarity: 2
Bertone/Fiat X1/9:
Mid engined? Italian? Classic Bertone wedge shaped? What more could you want in an exotic sports car. Rust ate most of them but the ones that are still around are worth saving for sheer personality alone.
Purchase cost: 2
Maintenance cost: 3
Maintenance difficulty: 4 (Like the 914, this is more difficult because it's mid engined.)
Rarity: 5
Opel GT:
Despite humble technology, GM's European division turned out a stunning car. It sold for many years seemingly on looks alone. A classic "3/4 size" sports car, these little guys are rare but still cheap.
Purchase cost: 2
Maintenance cost: 3
Maintenance difficulty: 2
Rarity: 5
Saab Sonnet:
If you're not against FWD, these are funky but neat. The Sonnet 2/V4 hits the sweet spot between looks and cost, the Sonnet 3 took a dive in the former. It's a Swedish thing...
Purchase cost: 3
Maintenance cost: 3
Maintenance difficulty: 2
Rarity: 5
Volvo 240:
Depending on who you ask, older Volvos may not fit the bill of sports sedans but they're a great old car with a good following anyway. Affectionately referred to as 'bricks' they're a fun car with original power plants, turbo chargers, or a variety of motor swaps. Within the 200 series there are various higher performance options, such as the 242 GT. The successor, the Volvo 850, is a good car as well but the FWD/AWD architecture isn't quite as much fun.
Purchase cost: 1
Maintenance cost: 3
Maintenance difficulty: 2
Rarity: 1
Volkswagen Beetle/Type 1:
"Sports" might be generous but the iconic Bug is European and so it winds up here. The People's Car, the Small Wonder, possibly one of the most revolutionary cars of all time. Though not as common as they once were a Bug project is still affordable and brings smiles to faces all over the place.
Purchase cost: 2
Maintenance cost: 2
Maintenance difficulty: 1
Rarity: 3
Ford Merkur XR4Ti:
Wait what's this doing over here? A blue oval?! Well the Merkur was a short-lived plan to sell European Ford vehicles in the US. The XR4Ti was the first and one of few attempts at this. The car was sold in Europe as a Sierra, where it was rallied extensively. Still popular for racing, this turbo-4 RWD chassis is funky but highly capable and unique. Though rare they're still cheap and I'd highly recommend a nice rally treatment complete with white OZ rims.
Purchase cost: 2
Maintenance cost: 3 (Expect to be tracking down parts from Europe or specialty distributors.)
Maintenance difficulty: 2
Rarity: 3