Project Cars You Can Buy Now For Less Than A Grand

I talk about a wide variety of classified finds on Car Throttle, but today I’m covering the cars that are simultaneously the source of epic dreams and equally epic disasters. Oh yes, it’s project car time.

Even if you don’t have an ounce of mechanical ability, at some point every petrolhead has browsed the car classifieds and stumbled upon something that could be great. For some of us, accepting such a challenge is within our financial means, but perhaps a bit beyond our ability. For others I’m sure the reverse is true. The fortunate ones have both the means and the funds to make magic happen, but even if you’re broke as a drunk college student or blessed with the technical affinity of fossilised turd, we can all still dream.

Here are a few super cheap cars from America and the UK that I think have potential to be awesome fun. And if you fancy none of these, share some of your finds in the comments. Somewhere out there is a cheap gem waiting to be discovered. We. Must. Find. It.

1989 Honda Accord: $600

I’ll be the first to say I’m not much of a Honda fan, but I’ve always liked the looks of the two-door Accords from this era. This particular Honda in Spokane, Washington is listed as running and driving and it’s a five-speed manual to boot, so fun factor is already part of the equation.

The body doesn’t appear to be rusty but there is some battle damage up front to take care of. Perfect excuse for a carbonfibre bonnet, then follow it up with a modest B18C1 swap, toss in a turbo, drop the suspension and dress it with some paint and I can see this being a tight Honda for not a huge investment. Plus it’s not a Civic, so bonus.

1984 Chevrolet Camaro Z28: $500

Since most people know me as a Mustang guy, I’ll reveal a secret muscle car desire of mine. I’ve always liked the long, low lines of the third-generation Camaro, and this particular Z28 with T-Tops is a perfect platform to build a sweet, properly fast American muscle machine. It’s located in Reno, Nevada and it’s a roller, so you won’t be driving it home. But muscle car builds start with the engine anyway, so no big deal.

The body looks solid, and Camaros of this generation enjoy a huge aftermarket, so whether you stick with an old-school carbed V8 or do the infamous LS-swap, there will be plenty of support to get the project done. With $10,000 and a bit of elbow grease you could have a 1980s mullet machine with the chops to run with the latest American muscle.

2000 Audi A4 Avant Sport 1.8T: £500

I’ll jump across the pond for this B5-Series A4 Avant in Redditch, and I’m rather jealous because this car in the States would cost at least three times as much. I’ve voiced my displeasure on numerous occasions as to the horrid reliability of this generation Audi, but we’re talking project cars here so rebuilding is part of the process. Besides, it’s only £500, so at that price you can afford some maintenance. And it’s an Avant - can I get some estate love?

Honestly, it looks great all around and it’s listed as running and driving great as well. This could be a project car where the work is just minor tweaking here and there while you use is as a cheap daily. It’s a five-speed, and I’m sure aftermarket goodies for the 1.8 turbo are just as available in the UK as they are in the U.S. It’s got style and potential to be a mild or wild build, and it’s cheap enough to not be rage-inducing should every part fail at once.

Nissan Micra: £500

So yeah, for the same price as the Audi, you could have this Nissan Micra with no glass, no interior, no front or rear bumpers, and a mesh windscreen. Then again, the Audi doesn’t already have a roll cage installed. I list this car simply because it’s already well on its way to being the neat little autograss racer it could be.

It’s located in Castleford, and sadly the description doesn’t list much in the way of detail. I don’t even know what year it is, but I do know it’s a class 1 autograss car so it has the 1.0-litre engine. Presumably it does run, but the seller does list a few minor issues to finish up, such as fitting the fuel tank, sorting out electrics and finding a seat. Still, I would love to be able to go racing as cheap as this in America. It may be small, and white, and rather dull, but I can see a fun little race car here, just itching to get a little glory.