You’ve been wanted to build a project car for the longest time but you don’t want to sacrifice your daily driver. You have a job and the grocery getter gets you to and from work, which most importantly is what pays the bills. So you start your search. Auto Trader, Cars.com, forums, and on and on and on. So how much should you really pay for that car you’re going to make your project? Well, it depends on your budget of course, but we’re building out a new tool to help you get an idea of a “market price” for the car you’re looking for. Depending on how much of an impulse buy it is, you may just buy the car on Craigslist in cash. There are a lot of great starter cars you can get for between $2-$5K these days. Why wait? Let the modding begin!

Our new search tool is coming soon. We’re alpha testing it now. Stay tuned!

If you’re looking for a project car, chances are you’re at a crossroads. There are so many used Japanese and European cars out there from the 1990s that you basically have dozens of options for where to start.

We’re going to start taking a look at a few cars that you should be familiar with by now if you aren’t already – the 95-95 Honda Civic, the 96-00 Honda Civic, the 94-01 Acura Integra, and the 90-94 Nissan S13 240SX. These are all cars that you find for $3K or less in the recyclers.

One great thing about these tuner cars is that aftermarket parts for them are also freely available and plenty of great shops online to choose from. Our taste might not be the same as yours, but we’d love to hear from you. Are you in the middle of your project? Feature it here on CarShopUSA!