As an Evo X owner there is a similar conversation online in the lancer community. There's a lot of kids that want evos but settle for base Lancers. Then they get pissed when they ask about making it fast and the answer is get an Evo. Modding a base lancer is the same endeavor as modding a Hyundai accent. I even try to be reasonable and suggest if you want a 4 door and can't spend Evo money there's the 07 Civic si and older base WRXs. Then their fanboy comes out and they act like they are too good for a Honda and they pretend to be part of the Evo/STi wars. It's pretty hilarious. At the end of the day they end up with a makebeliEVO with an Evo wing and hood and talk about turboing their CVT and how that would beat a stock Evo. The problem with that argument is that it falls apart because they'll never turbo it, and nobody leaves evos stock. I'll always advise to get something maybe older but fun. I'll take an 07 Civic si over a 17 lancer 8 days of the week.
They think lancers are like Subarus where even a stock impretza could be upgraded. Too bad the only thing that's similar in the lancers is the body and name
@@crissto8591 yep true. Base Impreza and lancer are economy cars. Ye fine you can tune them but by the time you’ve any decent power tuned out of them you probably could have spent the same money on a wrx or an evo.
After doing my extensive research, I recently purchased a 95 Honda Prelude. The aftermarket for this car is decent. The engine can be tweaked to a decent level. They're fairly well priced at present, although recent values have started to go up. Just be careful of service intervals. Mines came with a full Honda service history. When I dyno,'d it yesterday it returned the same horse power as it came out of the showroom, which told me the service stamps were genuine.
17 was the first year of the Elantra Sport. Basically a Veloster turbo drivetrain stuffed into an Elantra body, with upgraded suspension and bodywork. Essentially it's Hyundai's version of a Civic SI
Lucky here in New Zealand, we had access to all the JDM cars, but every year there are less and less of them. I'm fortunate I own two Galant VR4 Evo 0's (1988 & 1992) the basis for the Mitisi Evos. Love them to bits, used to be able to pick them up for $2500NZD fullying working years ago now they're $10000NZD minimum not even running
Ignoring the interior c5s are the best deal for tuners. It has almost infinite support, a good v8 with low stress, very low and wide so it corners reasonable. And is not complicated because of computers and stuff
As the owner of a 2004 g35 6speed coupe really reliable car fun had it 11 years and still in love 140k DE not the fastest but really fun and with 6speed reliable
"Stripper to a housewife!" :D Savage.. But I'm glad I got older, got money and could drive and own a few of the cars I always wanted.. Just takes time and persistence ppl, you'll get there eventually whether things get more expensive, that's just life..
98-02 F-body. You get the same LS1 as the Corvette (they dyno 300+ WHP stock), the bullet proof T-56 6 speed, a gigantic and cheap aftermarket, and LS engines LOVE mods. For under $500 you're running mid 12s on street tires (lid and headers) and the LS1 in stock form has a 6 bolt main good for 700HP without any strengthening. They can do it all, go run 11s/12s all day for a grand or 2, or rebuild the entire suspension for 1-2 grand and go damn good auto-x times. Best part is they're a dime a dozen, can get one with high miles in good shape for $8k
I still prefer old school over new. Easier to work on and if you find the right car, it's all day under $10k. Anything Chevy based or a handful of the older JDMs so long as parts are plentiful.
I will always recommend a genesis coupe to someone. They're reliable and make good factory power. But if you get a 3.8 then expect to pay a LOT more for power gains than you would on another platform.
@@TH-ul9gh i felt all that and was nodding my head along till you hit me with the last line. My mans trading a headache for a migraine 😂 But a beautiful migraine.. god I want one lol
@@TH-ul9gh totally agreed, in the power department those VQ37 come really maxxed out from factory, to gey any substantial improvement its a shit ton of $$$$ - id mod the suspension, rims and tires and thats it. They are fun and good looking too! Also extremely reliable
Well, in general it doesn't make sense to modify crappy cars, if you want something else, or want to make out of it something it almost can't be. But if you like a particular car, it's your car and your money, do with it as you please, don't let anybody tell you otherwise!
94-02 Mustang GT's still uses fox platform with thousands of parts available and support for days. The 4.6L is practically indestructible as well. You can buy them cheap and build them cheap.
94-04 yes fox 4 platform 94-95 is still pushrod 5.0 and can be had for $4000 in decent condition 96-98 are not my cup of tea but basically the same as the 99-04s which are the same except with better Heads cams intake and generally can be found for $5000 and up then there’s the 4vs which are a different animal but can still be pretty cheap (cobras/Mach 1)
Yep, I can relate to spending money on endless cars to work out what I could have bought with the money combined. But it's true, your first car will not be your last so no need to go head over heels with it. I tell people the same with houses, it won't be your last, so no need to be picky with your first.
Yay! So happy to see my car on the list (2018 Hot Pepper Red Focus ST). I watched the original Fast and the Furious two times in the theater and always wanted my own tuner car. Now that I'm an adult and can afford it, I threw in a Mishimoto Intercooler, got it Stratify tuned, and now I'm livin' the dream. Know where I can find a set of Mashimoto ZX tires?
I live in Spain, I wont be racing my car and I want something practical but cool, the Lexus IS300 SportCross is a nice looking sw with a 2JZ-GTE engine, this can be found sometimes for under 7.000€ in really good condition, I'd say that's a nice bang for the buck, also, first car, if any one has any advice, it's very welcome.
@@TH-ul9gh Actually, looking better at the swap process, I might just get one with the stock GE engine, with all the regulations that we have here, those might not pass the inspection, maybe that's the reason of them being as cheap (relatively), anyway, if the car itself is a nice platform, I like the style, and the stock engine is enough for me, I think I'm still good to go
@@TH-ul9gh As a rule of thumb, everything that you do to the car that's not strictly visual (vehicle lights are considered safety for example) has to be homologated and with an installation report on a registered auto shop, after which it has to go for a full inspection. For engine swaps, you have to match or improve the brake power that the new engine was accompanied from in the donor car, and if you reprogram it, it cannot do more than 20% more power than the engine did originally. If you do the mods yourself, it could cost you a quarter or less of what it does legaly, I get the safety reasons, but they go the extra mile to make it hard AF.
The money part is exactly why I have chosen this time to be frugal in what extra fluff I put into it. With the exception of wheels, lowering springs/shocks, and a cat-back exhaust for sound, everything else I have spent has only made it a better car all around in general that I think anyone would do even if they weren't into cars very much. If I lost it for any reason tomorrow, I wouldn't regret any of it. If I end up having to sell it, which I don't plan on any time soon, I know the next person would likely do the same things to it anyway if they wanted to improve it.
3:40 as a finn how drives in winter conditions half a year i can say that rear wheel drive is fine in snow when you put winter tires on and dont drive it un plowed roads. and also if you own RWD car learn to drive it in slippery conditions. but just to disclose my tesla is AWD model because RWD long range was never sold in finland and i like faster acceleration anyway.
My top choice would be a Honda Civic mainly because it's still being manufactured to this very day, there's a ton of aftermarket support for them and they are extremely easy to work on plus the parts are not as expensive as people think they are either.
@CraigLieberman thank you for posting this, ive been looking for a new affordable car to replace my econobox Elantra & thanks to you i know what to look for 👍🏽 also i only had an elantra due to the fact that i was in college for 13 months & recently graduated so i needed an A to B car, now im just looking for a car i wanted to modify a bit & i will use your advice to help me out 👍🏽
The G35 is a very good car. Cheap and I think it looks better than the 350z. You also get to say it’s technically a skyline. An issue people say happens is that the break pads need to be replaced, so should replace them with a reliable supplier when you replace them.
I would decide to buy the sabaru WRX because is my favorite car, now I know some tips you mention knowing more about cars thank you Craig for the video.
Moved to Japan to privately import an NSX back to Australia. After a decade or so of buying parts, the import laws changed personal circumstances changed and the Toyota 86 came out. I'd forgotten why I loved my Honda CRX, which I was upgrading from. Relatively cheap and fun to modify. I could have bought a brand new 86 and all the parts I wanted. Insurance and cost of parts for the NSX was triple everything, compared to the 86. Finally bought an GTS 86 last year, an updated CRX with rear wheel drive, which is what I wanted in the first place. Sweet little car.
Brought my R33 GTST back after I was stationed in Japan. Would never recommend owning a foreign car in the US. Love my car but the only parts readily available in the US are RB25 components and most of them are custom for S13 swaps. Steering, breaking, body, interior and exhaust parts are hard to come by...unless your willing to drop 2x the amount in shipping than the part is worth. 10/10 would not recommend
That's just common sense. I see these non-GTR skylines sitting for sale on various sites for ages as no one wants them, especially at their inflated prices. Who wants to spend $15-20k on a ratty 25yr old "classic" car over a mint 370z or clean C6...I would also imagine that the only people actually interested in them are youngins without the cash to buy and I'm sure financing an import like that is not likely.
Hard choice for me with 2 kids, hit a Audi Avant B7 2.0T 6mt, low mileage (60k km). Even if those car are turbo charged, they are not fast even with 10k $ parts alone. They handle well, very practical, and a soccer mom car with a 6mt is a dream. Like Craig said, I had to read a tons of stuff on audizine and vwvortex. Not a great car, but very rare to find a AWD wagon manual.
I would suggest a video on cars that can surprise there big brothers. Example: A 370z compared to R35 GTR. Unless you have a mint in the R35 GTR a Very nice 370z Nismo will make one heck of a modified car without the GTR tax. My 370ztt Nismo is at 900whp. It is one heck of a fast fun reliable car and most folks are none the wiser. It has to done properly though. No shortcuts or it will bleed your bank account dry.
Ironic that you made this video for me. I have a coworker with a 2017 Accent that says he’s going to put a turbo on it and everyone in our department has just gone numb to it not even bothering to call him a fucking idiot anymore. Great video, Craig!
If you take care of the car, the car will take care of you. People who complain about WRXs and STI’s are the same people who don’t do regular oil changes, timing belts, gaskets, coolant changes, blow off valves with no tune. The car is as reliable as you make it.
Good Advice I got a 370z after getting used to it the first mod I plan to get is a slave cylinder change since I notice the original one is known for leaking clutch fluid.
these are a great platform to build on. i have had 3 and currently have a '12 AWD G37 Sport with only 18k miles. She is my baby and i keep her in the garage. Such under-rated cars...
I've never been anywhere on this planet that would be a suitable place for driving a stanced car. My car is lowered somewhat, and I get beat to death driving on my local, fairly well maintained roads.
@@uptownsamcv I guess a region with little or no snow, and no scraping in the winter, probably makes for better road conditions. With the incredible amount of taxes we pay in my state, though, the roads should be smooth as silk, but despite the frequent road work, they just make more bumps and dips. Oh, and they like for manholes to either be 2 inches above the pavement, or 3 inches below.
My 2 cents is that don't let forums and common issue scare away from buying your loved car, in many cases it might not happen to you, and people on forums are always pushing high HP.
I own a toyota Gt86. I live in Belgium, whith a lot of small road, and a lot of turn, like rally style, and the Gt86 is just perfect. Small, light, very well balanced ( almost 50/50 ), handle very good, and not too powerfull.
I have 2015 Veloster turbo still no mods and look as it came from manufacturer, need to do small engine upgrades, do you think swapping engine to geniuses V6 couple will good idea??? is there any recommendation!! Wild bodykit is in my mind to do as next step
MItsubishi Eclipse 90-99, Rx7 FB and FC, Any Honda Prelude, Hatchback Civics, Nissan Skyline R31. Hard to find but in that price range, Any Nissan Z. The list goes on
Actually I got a 2000 Civic coupe with Vtec for $2300 with low miles. It runs great, only cost $20 to fill up from empty and there's decent aftermarket support for 6th generation civics even with the stock motor. They even have a bolt on kit that will make it AWD.
Peugeot 206 GTI or GTI 180 (RC) is a great car, well balanced 2.0 engine 180 bhp 0-60 6.5 to 7 sec. huge aftermarket. if you live in Europe or Asia 206 is a great car, even the 1.6 tu5 can be moded easily. Just make sure it's a 3 door. they're so good looking they don't need any visual mods. They can take most of the 3 series head on. My own puts down 283 to the wheels.
modifying cars got put aside once I got my first motorcycle. but now that my 02 6 speed Maxima is coming up on 300,000 miles I think it's about time to swap in a newer more powerful engine from a 2014 maxima and throw in a few bolts ons plus a tune while I'm at it.
I agree with many of the cars on the list however I think its important to be true to your personality also. I respect the Miata and I agree with Craig about its placement on the list. However you ain't catching my dead in such a small convertible that looks like it came out of the Barbie Malibu collection!
Perfect platform to modify 80s GM G-Body. You can take a fairly mild Monte Carlo, Buick Regal or Oldsmobile Cutlass and put a much better engine in it easy with minimal hassle. Myself I own an 83 Cutlass Supreme it originally came with a 3.8 V6 from the factory the first thing I did with it was put a 307 and it would simply required changing the engine frame mounts on the A-frame from there the sky was the limit and when that engine got to be too boring I built a 455 Rocket that I dropped under the hood. You can put small block Chevy, LS, Turbo Buick V6 any number of engines in this platform. There are often ready-made engines available in junk yards that you can go with on these or build a engine from scratch from Parts you come across or buy a complete crate engine from any number of sources.
Thank you craig for making a video like this it was informative, knowledgeable and enjoyable. IThe fox body mustang is the car I would go with out of the bunch, but. I need to get my finances in order my credit is good but I need to get more cash I would love love to get a 5.0 hatch/fast back fox body 😎
I bought a 13 Infiniti G37x sedan (awd) about three years ago and I love it. Black on black. Leather, sunroof, Nav, heated seats, Bluetooth, Bose, parking sensors. Paid 16k 44k miles. Quick, 330ish hp, 5 seconds 0-60.
Right on, I test drove some g37 sedans but ended up in a clean stock 2010 is350. Just installed my Lexus F-sport air intake last night and did some dragy runs, 0-60 in 4.9 and the 1/8th in 8.7. Now I have my F-sport swaybars to install and I'm trying to decide what exhaust will give me a nice tone, not ricy and overly loud.
I have a Blob Eye STI. It’s reliable for what I do, but I don’t know if I would trust it if I hotted it up. Also it’s probably the only STI in the world that hasn’t been hooned to death, so I wouldn’t want to ruin it.
I am sad that you didn't mention the Evo. Luckily for me, I have an Evo guy in Matsuyama, Japan. He built the car at his shop about 10 years ago. When I bought it, he was happy to see it come back, still running and being taken care of. I would say in the long run, Evo and WRX are the best for both daily driver and racer. Both family style cars, but can race. Things like the 350z and BRZ are no good because in the likely event that you have more than 1 passenger, you need to move the seat forward and have people crawl in the back, then spend 10 minutes getting your seat back to comfort.
I bought my 14 CTS-V coupe for $30K. It was an all factory, low-miles car and was in good shape. today they are going for the high-30s and even low 40s so I did pretty good. I like the V although it is a bit heavy but there are a lot of LS engine mods available but if you want a V beware; they are expensive cars to modify. On the good side, you really don't need to do a lot of mods if you want a street car. I never understood why people would take a CTS-V and turn it into a drag racer though... why spend all that money on an expensive car when you can get just as good (or better) performance modding a camaro or mustang and removing the mag ride for coilovers just make no sense to me at all.
For those considering a 35i please be aware there are two different engines used in the E9x chassis, the N54 & N55. Generally speaking the N54 has a much higher power potential, it’s not uncommon for them to be in the 700-800whp range on stock internals but it is insanely unreliable compared to the N55 which came in the 2010s & on (fuel injectors, coils, HPFP, wastegate rattle, etc.) N55 has some power potential but generally you won’t see them go much further than 500whp especially on a stock turbo.
Good car under 10k isn’t unreasonable, just probably gonna be older. I bought a ‘94 Z28 for $675 last year. Granted that was a very weird perfect storm type situation, but you could reasonably have found a car like mine for about 2 grand. Rust free, didn’t run, all it needed was a coil, distributor, plugs and wires, and several hours of wiring. You need a little experience to do that, but it’s easily learnable. All in I think I had like a grand + my own labor in the car by the time I had it running and driving. Now I’m doing paint and body, but in any case, way under 10k.
Bro modifying a economy car can be a great decision if you knw what you doing, i knw of a guy from Jamaica who turned a Toyota corolla 97 model into a beast with a Nissan engine swap with a big turbo included! Sometimes we need to get to knw other countries car culture a bit America isn't the only country that has a car scene.
2007 350z? Anybody have insight on that? Looking to find one soon a lot of the older ones tend to have oil issues etc. Why does this stand above the rest
“It doesn’t make sense to modify crappy cars” 100% this
@Darrin R. lancers and evolution's are 2 different vehicles
@@Celestial_Being666 on god bro
@@Celestial_Being666Evolution is like the trim level
The entire Civic scene disproves that theory.
“Check your credit score”
Craigs viewers: good question
"Consider how long you wanna keep the car"
Andre: good question
@@NeoCat1993 HAHAH fuck
Credit what?
People who own these cars now “OKAY ! TIME TO SELL !”
Stonks!
For a profit
People said the same thing about the supra, now look at the price
Especially if you own a 94 Celica
And it's rediculous.
As an Evo X owner there is a similar conversation online in the lancer community. There's a lot of kids that want evos but settle for base Lancers. Then they get pissed when they ask about making it fast and the answer is get an Evo. Modding a base lancer is the same endeavor as modding a Hyundai accent.
I even try to be reasonable and suggest if you want a 4 door and can't spend Evo money there's the 07 Civic si and older base WRXs.
Then their fanboy comes out and they act like they are too good for a Honda and they pretend to be part of the Evo/STi wars. It's pretty hilarious. At the end of the day they end up with a makebeliEVO with an Evo wing and hood and talk about turboing their CVT and how that would beat a stock Evo. The problem with that argument is that it falls apart because they'll never turbo it, and nobody leaves evos stock.
I'll always advise to get something maybe older but fun. I'll take an 07 Civic si over a 17 lancer 8 days of the week.
Base lancer and evo are very different cars. If you want a fast lancer, buy an evo, it’s the whole point of its existence
They think lancers are like Subarus where even a stock impretza could be upgraded. Too bad the only thing that's similar in the lancers is the body and name
Note to self: add makebeliEVO to vocabulary
@@crissto8591 yep true. Base Impreza and lancer are economy cars. Ye fine you can tune them but by the time you’ve any decent power tuned out of them you probably could have spent the same money on a wrx or an evo.
What about the 90s civic?
After doing my extensive research, I recently purchased a 95 Honda Prelude. The aftermarket for this car is decent. The engine can be tweaked to a decent level. They're fairly well priced at present, although recent values have started to go up. Just be careful of service intervals. Mines came with a full Honda service history. When I dyno,'d it yesterday it returned the same horse power as it came out of the showroom, which told me the service stamps were genuine.
Awesome car
A guy I know just got a '17 Elantra and he's starting to put mods into it. Bad idea, but hey, it's his car.
I mean it's just a Hyundai....
The Red Evo is yours.
@@poncho828 genesis coupe ended having a massive aftermarket which is still constantly growing
We all start somewhere less judgement
17 was the first year of the Elantra Sport. Basically a Veloster turbo drivetrain stuffed into an Elantra body, with upgraded suspension and bodywork.
Essentially it's Hyundai's version of a Civic SI
Lucky here in New Zealand, we had access to all the JDM cars, but every year there are less and less of them. I'm fortunate I own two Galant VR4 Evo 0's (1988 & 1992) the basis for the Mitisi Evos. Love them to bits, used to be able to pick them up for $2500NZD fullying working years ago now they're $10000NZD minimum not even running
It's the whole world covid really F'd us
So early that Craig made a spelling error in the title LOL.
A Corvette is another excellent car Especially the C5 You could get those car for $10.000
Ignoring the interior c5s are the best deal for tuners. It has almost infinite support, a good v8 with low stress, very low and wide so it corners reasonable. And is not complicated because of computers and stuff
10 bucks for a vette? Sign me up!
since when do u see thousandths when talking about pennies
@@m1a1abrams3 He's from in inferior country that swaps commas and decimal points. Probably measures in stones or whatever the fuck
@@m1a1abrams3 😂😂😂😂
So basically any starter car on need for speed lol good videos Craig love the channel.. now I need a 350z
Or Honda Civic
@@matthew_natividad lol
thats what i was thinking lol like, wait a minute, where have i seen these cars before? .
As the owner of a 2004 g35 6speed coupe really reliable car fun had it 11 years and still in love 140k DE not the fastest but really fun and with 6speed reliable
Is300/gs300/sc300 is a great platform with good value for those who can do some work on there own and lots of parts availability.
"Stripper to a housewife!" :D Savage.. But I'm glad I got older, got money and could drive and own a few of the cars I always wanted.. Just takes time and persistence ppl, you'll get there eventually whether things get more expensive, that's just life..
I love that girlfriend metaphor 😆
98-02 F-body. You get the same LS1 as the Corvette (they dyno 300+ WHP stock), the bullet proof T-56 6 speed, a gigantic and cheap aftermarket, and LS engines LOVE mods. For under $500 you're running mid 12s on street tires (lid and headers) and the LS1 in stock form has a 6 bolt main good for 700HP without any strengthening. They can do it all, go run 11s/12s all day for a grand or 2, or rebuild the entire suspension for 1-2 grand and go damn good auto-x times. Best part is they're a dime a dozen, can get one with high miles in good shape for $8k
This!👍
More or less
This is the best advice I've ever gotten on buying a car. Didn't expect that when clicking on the video
Can you do a top 10 favorite cars of yours? Where money is not an issue just cars that you owned or wish to own
Let's share these videos. This man a legend and deserves more views.. big fan for everything you've done for the scene
I still prefer old school over new. Easier to work on and if you find the right car, it's all day under $10k. Anything Chevy based or a handful of the older JDMs so long as parts are plentiful.
I will always recommend a genesis coupe to someone. They're reliable and make good factory power. But if you get a 3.8 then expect to pay a LOT more for power gains than you would on another platform.
@@TH-ul9gh i felt all that and was nodding my head along till you hit me with the last line. My mans trading a headache for a migraine 😂
But a beautiful migraine.. god I want one lol
@@TH-ul9gh totally agreed, in the power department those VQ37 come really maxxed out from factory, to gey any substantial improvement its a shit ton of $$$$ - id mod the suspension, rims and tires and thats it.
They are fun and good looking too! Also extremely reliable
Got this
Craig: “It doesn’t make sense to modify crappy cars”
Me: "My Modified Suzuki Swift Sport is awesome"
Yep.
Well, in general it doesn't make sense to modify crappy cars, if you want something else, or want to make out of it something it almost can't be. But if you like a particular car, it's your car and your money, do with it as you please, don't let anybody tell you otherwise!
@@rubbers3 The word "crappy car" is overused.
It's like thinking that if something ain't a Ferrari or Buggatti then it's a "crappy car".
@@borla4491 Yes. But actually - no.
@@rubbers3
Trust me.
I had a guy , that called a well kept Ford Excursion ( which also has a V10 engine and has over 400000 miles on it) a "shitbox".
In Ukraine you can buy Lada for $2-3k, then turbocharge it for another $3-4k and there is 12 second car for $6-7k total.
Good thing I have a 2017 Toyota 86 that I am working on k24 swapping 🤝
Now that's good swap. Had a k24a2 before and with a basic remap and intake made 220 HP
Wanna own an 86/frs just to swap it with a 1jz
You forgot Front Wheel Drive with a Helical Limited Slip Differential! K24 swapped FG2 is amazing 😁 Love my Front Wheel Drive
94-02 Mustang GT's still uses fox platform with thousands of parts available and support for days. The 4.6L is practically indestructible as well. You can buy them cheap and build them cheap.
94-04 yes fox 4 platform 94-95 is still pushrod 5.0 and can be had for $4000 in decent condition 96-98 are not my cup of tea but basically the same as the 99-04s which are the same except with better Heads cams intake and generally can be found for $5000 and up then there’s the 4vs which are a different animal but can still be pretty cheap (cobras/Mach 1)
i'm still using my late father Proton Wira...spare parts are easy to find becaus that car share almost the same parts with Evo 3...
Spend your money on something relatively cheap
eliable to track and use the remaining amount to improve the driver mod.
Craig, your presentation skills are getting really good! This was great
Yep, I can relate to spending money on endless cars to work out what I could have bought with the money combined. But it's true, your first car will not be your last so no need to go head over heels with it. I tell people the same with houses, it won't be your last, so no need to be picky with your first.
Craig Lieberman what about the fourth gen LT1 Camaros? I like the 93-97 body styles the best. The 98-02 have the better motor with the LS1
Great information from a smart car guy. Always Look forward to your videos Craig!
05 G35 coupe checking in. Had it since 2007.
amazing cars, had an '03 and a '05 Sport. Still miss that exhaust note. Been in a G37 Coupe for a few years now and still loving the brand!
Yay! So happy to see my car on the list (2018 Hot Pepper Red Focus ST). I watched the original Fast and the Furious two times in the theater and always wanted my own tuner car. Now that I'm an adult and can afford it, I threw in a Mishimoto Intercooler, got it Stratify tuned, and now I'm livin' the dream. Know where I can find a set of Mashimoto ZX tires?
I live in Spain, I wont be racing my car and I want something practical but cool, the Lexus IS300 SportCross is a nice looking sw with a 2JZ-GTE engine, this can be found sometimes for under 7.000€ in really good condition, I'd say that's a nice bang for the buck, also, first car, if any one has any advice, it's very welcome.
@@TH-ul9gh That's... really in depth, great thanks
@@TH-ul9gh Actually, looking better at the swap process, I might just get one with the stock GE engine, with all the regulations that we have here, those might not pass the inspection, maybe that's the reason of them being as cheap (relatively), anyway, if the car itself is a nice platform, I like the style, and the stock engine is enough for me, I think I'm still good to go
@@TH-ul9gh As a rule of thumb, everything that you do to the car that's not strictly visual (vehicle lights are considered safety for example) has to be homologated and with an installation report on a registered auto shop, after which it has to go for a full inspection.
For engine swaps, you have to match or improve the brake power that the new engine was accompanied from in the donor car, and if you reprogram it, it cannot do more than 20% more power than the engine did originally.
If you do the mods yourself, it could cost you a quarter or less of what it does legaly, I get the safety reasons, but they go the extra mile to make it hard AF.
The money part is exactly why I have chosen this time to be frugal in what extra fluff I put into it. With the exception of wheels, lowering springs/shocks, and a cat-back exhaust for sound, everything else I have spent has only made it a better car all around in general that I think anyone would do even if they weren't into cars very much. If I lost it for any reason tomorrow, I wouldn't regret any of it. If I end up having to sell it, which I don't plan on any time soon, I know the next person would likely do the same things to it anyway if they wanted to improve it.
We would love to hear your take on the RPM act,
Another communist, non-elected, 3 letter acronym organization trying to destroy small businesses. EPA, NSA, CIA, FBI, IRS, all need to be dissolved.
@@stephencox4509 plus a few more dea atf dhs ect
Thoughts on the Veloster N? Seemed to compete with the type R in some videos I saw, and apparently takes over the gti/focus in the hot hatch group.
It’s in between the Gti and type R in terms of performance. Great cars
It's a great car
3:40 as a finn how drives in winter conditions half a year i can say that rear wheel drive is fine in snow when you put winter tires on and dont drive it un plowed roads. and also if you own RWD car learn to drive it in slippery conditions. but just to disclose my tesla is AWD model because RWD long range was never sold in finland and i like faster acceleration anyway.
My top choice would be a Honda Civic mainly because it's still being manufactured to this very day, there's a ton of aftermarket support for them and they are extremely easy to work on plus the parts are not as expensive as people think they are either.
This is basically the sports car buyers Bible
Focus st! Big intercooler, GTX turbo, cobb, 350/400 to the wheels allllll day. N ya pop a motor a new one can be found for $500
Really good video! 💯
Thanks for sharing!
@CraigLieberman thank you for posting this, ive been looking for a new affordable car to replace my econobox Elantra & thanks to you i know what to look for 👍🏽
also i only had an elantra due to the fact that i was in college for 13 months & recently graduated so i needed an A to B car, now im just looking for a car i wanted to modify a bit & i will use your advice to help me out 👍🏽
These videos are gold, really appreciate this Craig. You're the best!
I miss my saturns. SO hard to rice them out , which was great! And mine were fast.
The G35 is a very good car. Cheap and I think it looks better than the 350z. You also get to say it’s technically a skyline.
An issue people say happens is that the break pads need to be replaced, so should replace them with a reliable supplier when you replace them.
amazing cars, had an '03 and a '05 Sport. Still miss that exhaust note. Been in a G37 Coupe for a few years now and still loving the brand!
I would decide to buy the sabaru WRX because is my favorite car, now I know some tips you mention knowing more about cars thank you Craig for the video.
Moved to Japan to privately import an NSX back to Australia. After a decade or so of buying parts, the import laws changed personal circumstances changed and the Toyota 86 came out. I'd forgotten why I loved my Honda CRX, which I was upgrading from. Relatively cheap and fun to modify. I could have bought a brand new 86 and all the parts I wanted. Insurance and cost of parts for the NSX was triple everything, compared to the 86. Finally bought an GTS 86 last year, an updated CRX with rear wheel drive, which is what I wanted in the first place. Sweet little car.
Brought my R33 GTST back after I was stationed in Japan. Would never recommend owning a foreign car in the US. Love my car but the only parts readily available in the US are RB25 components and most of them are custom for S13 swaps. Steering, breaking, body, interior and exhaust parts are hard to come by...unless your willing to drop 2x the amount in shipping than the part is worth. 10/10 would not recommend
That's just common sense. I see these non-GTR skylines sitting for sale on various sites for ages as no one wants them, especially at their inflated prices. Who wants to spend $15-20k on a ratty 25yr old "classic" car over a mint 370z or clean C6...I would also imagine that the only people actually interested in them are youngins without the cash to buy and I'm sure financing an import like that is not likely.
Hard choice for me with 2 kids, hit a Audi Avant B7 2.0T 6mt, low mileage (60k km). Even if those car are turbo charged, they are not fast even with 10k $ parts alone. They handle well, very practical, and a soccer mom car with a 6mt is a dream. Like Craig said, I had to read a tons of stuff on audizine and vwvortex. Not a great car, but very rare to find a AWD wagon manual.
Good info Craig!
I bought a Dodge Ram SRT-10 a couple of years ago, it's been a blast!
I would suggest a video on cars that can surprise there big brothers. Example: A 370z compared to R35 GTR. Unless you have a mint in the R35 GTR a Very nice 370z Nismo will make one heck of a modified car without the GTR tax. My 370ztt Nismo is at 900whp. It is one heck of a fast fun reliable car and most folks are none the wiser. It has to done properly though. No shortcuts or it will bleed your bank account dry.
Ironic that you made this video for me. I have a coworker with a 2017 Accent that says he’s going to put a turbo on it and everyone in our department has just gone numb to it not even bothering to call him a fucking idiot anymore. Great video, Craig!
Wrx/sti = money pit
NOOOO
Gonna disagree. I know plenty of people who have had very good experiences with modifying those cars.
@@ShanesAutos Modifying sure but reliability? No
If you take care of the car, the car will take care of you. People who complain about WRXs and STI’s are the same people who don’t do regular oil changes, timing belts, gaskets, coolant changes, blow off valves with no tune. The car is as reliable as you make it.
@@bhcamaro2002 yes reliability to. Need to tune the car right.
So Craig to summarize your video in a few words, "how to get in a financial mess". 🤔
I'm glad I purchased my 2002 miata SE for $1300
Good Advice I got a 370z after getting used to it the first mod I plan to get is a slave cylinder change since I notice the original one is known for leaking clutch fluid.
Great video for the young guys out there! I had fun with my G37!
these are a great platform to build on. i have had 3 and currently have a '12 AWD G37 Sport with only 18k miles. She is my baby and i keep her in the garage. Such under-rated cars...
Craig , I would love to see a video on any special memorabilia from the franchise , I.e that 2001 fast and furious item behind you.
I will buy anyone of these as my first project car
I've never been anywhere on this planet that would be a suitable place for driving a stanced car. My car is lowered somewhat, and I get beat to death driving on my local, fairly well maintained roads.
I live in central Florida and the roads here well-taken care of unless it's being worked on and lanes are being added temporarily.
@@uptownsamcv I guess a region with little or no snow, and no scraping in the winter, probably makes for better road conditions. With the incredible amount of taxes we pay in my state, though, the roads should be smooth as silk, but despite the frequent road work, they just make more bumps and dips. Oh, and they like for manholes to either be 2 inches above the pavement, or 3 inches below.
Craig: talking about all this other shit about buying a car
Me: this is badass, I want it
My 2 cents is that don't let forums and common issue scare away from buying your loved car, in many cases it might not happen to you, and people on forums are always pushing high HP.
I own a toyota Gt86. I live in Belgium, whith a lot of small road, and a lot of turn, like rally style, and the Gt86 is just perfect.
Small, light, very well balanced ( almost 50/50 ), handle very good, and not too powerfull.
I have 2015 Veloster turbo still no mods and look as it came from manufacturer, need to do small engine upgrades, do you think swapping engine to geniuses V6 couple will good idea??? is there any recommendation!! Wild bodykit is in my mind to do as next step
MItsubishi Eclipse 90-99, Rx7 FB and FC, Any Honda Prelude, Hatchback Civics, Nissan Skyline R31. Hard to find but in that price range, Any Nissan Z. The list goes on
R31 skyline suck I had heaps of them.
Glad to see the MX5 getting mentioned. I love mine
where did you get those prints behind you?
Actually I got a 2000 Civic coupe with Vtec for $2300 with low miles. It runs great, only cost $20 to fill up from empty and there's decent aftermarket support for 6th generation civics even with the stock motor. They even have a bolt on kit that will make it AWD.
Also insurance is dirt cheap. Mines $119 a month with the premium plan. Had I got the regular one it would've been $75.
Really enjoying your videos Craig
Peugeot 206 GTI or GTI 180 (RC) is a great car, well balanced 2.0 engine 180 bhp 0-60 6.5 to 7 sec. huge aftermarket.
if you live in Europe or Asia 206 is a great car, even the 1.6 tu5 can be moded easily. Just make sure it's a 3 door. they're so good looking they don't need any visual mods. They can take most of the 3 series head on. My own puts down 283 to the wheels.
modifying cars got put aside once I got my first motorcycle. but now that my 02 6 speed Maxima is coming up on 300,000 miles I think it's about time to swap in a newer more powerful engine from a 2014 maxima and throw in a few bolts ons plus a tune while I'm at it.
Craig showed the Swifty! Craig really knows what's good, despite not recommending cars below 1.8L. :D
Got a 350z about 2 months ago 👍👍👍👍
How about a video on affordable sedans to mod? For the family people that still want a badass ride! That would be dope.
What about the cobalt ss t/c? Faster than some cars on this list and with good aftermarket options.
Male pattern baldness by age 35? I’m 35 and I’m looking like Harry Hamlin from Clash of the Titans. Bow before me, mortals.
I bought a 2013 focus for $9,000. Less than 100k on it. Car runs great, never been wrecked, motors can handle turbos and have from the factory.
An update on the focus. My mom backed into it and I traded it for a Corvette.
I agree with many of the cars on the list however I think its important to be true to your personality also. I respect the Miata and I agree with Craig about its placement on the list. However you ain't catching my dead in such a small convertible that looks like it came out of the Barbie Malibu collection!
Perfect platform to modify 80s GM G-Body. You can take a fairly mild Monte Carlo, Buick Regal or Oldsmobile Cutlass and put a much better engine in it easy with minimal hassle. Myself I own an 83 Cutlass Supreme it originally came with a 3.8 V6 from the factory the first thing I did with it was put a 307 and it would simply required changing the engine frame mounts on the A-frame from there the sky was the limit and when that engine got to be too boring I built a 455 Rocket that I dropped under the hood. You can put small block Chevy, LS, Turbo Buick V6 any number of engines in this platform. There are often ready-made engines available in junk yards that you can go with on these or build a engine from scratch from Parts you come across or buy a complete crate engine from any number of sources.
I've owned 3 of these 10 and agree with all but 1 of the others. I'd pull the Fox Body Mustang for a Genesis Coupe.
It’s information like this that can prevent people from making decisions that ruin their life. Less chances of getting into debt they can’t handle.
I'm feeling the burn...my 85 200SX turbo has been...well... AMAZING!! 💙😍
Thank you craig for making a video like this it was informative, knowledgeable and enjoyable. IThe fox body mustang is the car I would go with out of the bunch, but. I need to get my finances in order my credit is good but I need to get more cash I would love love to get a 5.0 hatch/fast back fox body 😎
I bought a 13 Infiniti G37x sedan (awd) about three years ago and I love it. Black on black. Leather, sunroof, Nav, heated seats, Bluetooth, Bose, parking sensors. Paid 16k 44k miles. Quick, 330ish hp, 5 seconds 0-60.
Right on, I test drove some g37 sedans but ended up in a clean stock 2010 is350. Just installed my Lexus F-sport air intake last night and did some dragy runs, 0-60 in 4.9 and the 1/8th in 8.7. Now I have my F-sport swaybars to install and I'm trying to decide what exhaust will give me a nice tone, not ricy and overly loud.
thoughts on a 2001 honda s2000?
I have a Blob Eye STI. It’s reliable for what I do, but I don’t know if I would trust it if I hotted it up. Also it’s probably the only STI in the world that hasn’t been hooned to death, so I wouldn’t want to ruin it.
I am sad that you didn't mention the Evo. Luckily for me, I have an Evo guy in Matsuyama, Japan. He built the car at his shop about 10 years ago. When I bought it, he was happy to see it come back, still running and being taken care of.
I would say in the long run, Evo and WRX are the best for both daily driver and racer. Both family style cars, but can race. Things like the 350z and BRZ are no good because in the likely event that you have more than 1 passenger, you need to move the seat forward and have people crawl in the back, then spend 10 minutes getting your seat back to comfort.
I bought my 14 CTS-V coupe for $30K. It was an all factory, low-miles car and was in good shape. today they are going for the high-30s and even low 40s so I did pretty good. I like the V although it is a bit heavy but there are a lot of LS engine mods available but if you want a V beware; they are expensive cars to modify. On the good side, you really don't need to do a lot of mods if you want a street car. I never understood why people would take a CTS-V and turn it into a drag racer though... why spend all that money on an expensive car when you can get just as good (or better) performance modding a camaro or mustang and removing the mag ride for coilovers just make no sense to me at all.
For those considering a 35i please be aware there are two different engines used in the E9x chassis, the N54 & N55. Generally speaking the N54 has a much higher power potential, it’s not uncommon for them to be in the 700-800whp range on stock internals but it is insanely unreliable compared to the N55 which came in the 2010s & on (fuel injectors, coils, HPFP, wastegate rattle, etc.) N55 has some power potential but generally you won’t see them go much further than 500whp especially on a stock turbo.
Good car under 10k isn’t unreasonable, just probably gonna be older. I bought a ‘94 Z28 for $675 last year. Granted that was a very weird perfect storm type situation, but you could reasonably have found a car like mine for about 2 grand. Rust free, didn’t run, all it needed was a coil, distributor, plugs and wires, and several hours of wiring. You need a little experience to do that, but it’s easily learnable. All in I think I had like a grand + my own labor in the car by the time I had it running and driving. Now I’m doing paint and body, but in any case, way under 10k.
Amazing Video Full Of Information...... 🇮🇳
Do you have a preference on 5th gen Preludes?
Bro modifying a economy car can be a great decision if you knw what you doing, i knw of a guy from Jamaica who turned a Toyota corolla 97 model into a beast with a Nissan engine swap with a big turbo included! Sometimes we need to get to knw other countries car culture a bit America isn't the only country that has a car scene.
to be fair you can do engine work to anything really, but I'm sure there isn't much cosmetic stuff for that corolla.
Great list. One car I think you missed is the Lexus IS F. What’s your opinion on it?
2007 350z? Anybody have insight on that? Looking to find one soon a lot of the older ones tend to have oil issues etc. Why does this stand above the rest
Has the HR which is the more upgraded Vq35 which has upgraded camshafts and solved the oil issues overall a stronger version of the VQ35
Wooo hoo, I own number 1, and I’m in the 2% (New Zealand)
video starts @ 8:30
I got a 2001 Miata NB Weekend Car using for my Drift Spec and car show. 10-15 yrs 😎 is my NB model good :/ ???
Also another tip, don’t get a Mitsubishi unless you’re willing to go the “money pit” route