Say I went and bought an old car, something in the couple hundred quid range, but with potential to be something fun. Given I know NOTHING about cars, could I, with a little investment of time and cash and with the help of a Haynes manual and teh Intarweb make it work?

Second question: what should I get? RWD and Japanese for preference, unless someone knows better.

EDIT: PS This has nothing to do with going to see Tokyo Drift this evening

Easily, but you gotta make sure you get something within your ability & pocket money. imo Id look for decent bodywork and something European.

Knackered 205 GTi (MUST BE A 1.9)
Engine from an Mi16 405 (Get it from a BX and Ill personally take it back)
Thats a project and a half, and thats a quick combo. Youll also need a specialist exhaust manifold for that (Or a sledge) and the ignition & ECU from the 1.9 GTi for ease of installation - M3D is the ultimate solution, but it is a bugger to get right.

Either that, or an Activa Turbo, bigger turbo = 230+bhp (200 is possible on the standard turbo but it will only last a short time) Awesome grip, awesome cornering ability

Or how about the good old BX:) LOL

All can be had for under Ã,£1000

An amusing video vs a 750i:




http://www.bx16valve.co.uk/Clips/BMW.WMV

Id be happy to go and look at any with you that you needed assistance with.

Problem with japanese cars is that some of them hold their value SO damn well

I would recommend a Starlet Turbo - ok, its not RWD but its about 800kgs and has 130bhp - they are quick little cars.

How about a ghei Mazda MX-5

My mate went from total nooblar to rather knowledgable mechanic dude doing this. Used to buy clapped out ford capris on ebay. Bought his parts on ebay and scrappies, bought his tools from ebay, learnt how to weld by following the interweb, and bought gear from ebay, then fixed up a ford capri, crashed it on the way to the mot test centre, then fixed up a new one using parts from the old, fitted nitrous, and got it motd, then got bored driving it around, fitted a roll cage and used it for track racing on weekends, then banger racing... then flogged it to a banger racing team, then bought another capri...

and so the cycle went on if you have the time... Id say go for it. He was a complete idiot, but he definately learnt his stuff.

Personal preference would be for something like a rusted VW beetle or a mini, in either case the parts are widely available and you can alwys use them as the basis of a kit car if you buy somthing thats too far gone.

A lot of eastern manufacture cars dont have any Haynes manual so if you really want to go for one of those then make sure you can get one. Early Jap cars had a severe tendancy to rust away too.

Almost nothing rots like a mini. They still go for idiotic prices even for real rust buckets - I wish Id kept the ones I had as a child for racing round our apple orchards for Ã,£20 - they were in better shape than most of the scrap that goes for Ã,£1000 odd nowadays.

With regards to the welding, like spraying, imo anyway, its something you can either do well or at very best do - there is a lot of natural talent involved. Spraying and bodywork is not something you can learn on the net - you need to practice, practice, practice.

^^ yep, go for something with good solid body work

problem with jap cars is generally they aint got a haynes for it and the parts are bloody expensive

Yes, looking around the trader has kinda dashed my Supra/Celica/S2000 hopes. Mind you, there are some reasonable Toyota MR2s which is a car Ive always loved (the original boxy shape) and one that there seems to be a thriving community around and Haynes do a lot of Toyota manuals.

I was reckoning Japanese since once it was fixed it should be pretty reliable.

How about a Calibra Turbo?

Quote from: GoblinSecond question: what should I get? RWD and Japanese for preference, unless someone knows better.

S12 Silvia

Should be easy to find one on the cheap in need of sorting out, and is a RWD 1.8 8v turbo

Very cool car, but starting price (at quick glance) is over two grand PLus the nearest one in across the water (Im in Northern Ireland, which cuts down a lot the potential sales.

Get an old volvo, easy to work with

Quotea mini

Theyre cheap to keep on the road but expensive to make em look nice & go fast.


Id go for something like a 2 door E30, they can pull off the bodykit, bad alloys & sunscreen look and are fairly nippy too.

Quote from: GoblinHow about a Calibra Turbo?

The only time a calibra turbo will drift is when your crashing, so not ideal if thats what you want it for lol