Which car to resto for a first timer?
 

Budget is small and so are skills. I want to limit work to minor body, suspension, roll bar install, wheels and engine tune-up. Goal is to end up with a nice car for around town driving and maybe autox 2X/yr.

Which car make would you choose?

VW Bug. Simple mechanicals, lots of parts available, not too expensive to get into one, almost all of 'em will have something body related to fix, etc.

A '67 bug. Old body style (except headlights), 12 volt system.

BMW e30.

VW Bug
MGB
Miata

Or a later ghia.

any pre 70 Chevy. There are more of those around now than in the 70's :)

I suggest one that's already finished. You can buy someone else's $35k dollar nightmare for half the price and have a finished product. :-P

It would be hard to go wrong with any GM. Parts are plentiful, and some of them were really pretty, and damn fast. I wouldn't rebuild a VW bug unless the US Navy promised to shell it with 5" naval fire in a firepower demonstration, and let me do the adjusting.

How much are bugs going for now a days? I thought they had got caught up in the classic car craze.

I like the BMW idea.

I was going to suggest some old unpopular American car with a straight six up until I read the autox part.

I love bugs and owned 3 over the years.... fun, simple cars, but often they require some serious welding on the floors due to rust (at least if the car is from a northern state). Not a huge deal, but you hinted that serious body work might not be for you right now.

E-30 great autocross car parts can get expensive

2nd option is a Triumph Spitfire.

2nd generation Sprite or MG Midget...less costly than a bugeye...

But you will probably need tools in "British Standard" sizes.

I've done a couple of 914s, they are a lot of fun, and a very easy restore.

Body work is easy on them because they are mostly flat panels, with very little trim to fuss with. You can have the exterior stripped down to the shell in half an afternoon.

Electrical is about as simple as it gets. There is hardly any.

Engine and trans are of course very simple.

And, as a bonus, these cars are really starting to increase in value, so you'll have something worth a little when you are done, esp. if you restore it to stock configuration.

Another vote here for a bug... mid 60s Mustang also a possibility. My first frame-off resto was a 73 Beetle, FWIW.

One of the least pleasurable (to me at least) parts of restoring a car (I've done 3) is looking for hard-to-find parts... not a problem for the bug or mustang. Rusted out fender? Buy a new one. Done.

You get the gold star. Cheap, easy & more fun than a weekend with Britney Spears!

A 73 or 73 2.0 would be my recommendation. Prepare for rust.

What about a 240/280Z? I have no idea about how difficult they are to restore, but I would imagine it'd be cheaper than the BMWs.

I've been shopping for a pre-smog 914 but their prices have gone up quite a bit lately, no doubt due to gas prices.

Old VWs, hmmm. I was kinda leaning towards a MG but I want a car that won't leave me stranded due to electricals. E-30s are hot and so are 2002s. Parts are expensive though. Miatas are the favorite because parts are cheap but my wife hates says if I'm going to buy a convertible she will only give a thumbs up to Boxster. That'll blow my budget.

2002 parts are not that expensive... I found out my head is cracked, got one for $100... The entire motor costs as much as a set of 911 shocks ;-) Fun RWD car.. That or a 912, but I think a 2002 is easier to restore, lots of "square" parts available and easy to weld !

Keep in mind that the majority of resto projects end up neglected and/or abandoned, so make sure the car you select is a car you really, really want...

I wouldn't steer clear of an MG due to the Lucas electronics, there is a big aftermarket for them and a lot of ways to make them more reliable. A nice MGB would likely make a good project.

The miata idea isnt bad. I just watched a episode of Gearz on Speed. The dropped in a 5.0 ford motor and a lotus looking body kit. Still borderline fellating hairdesserish.

Not sure a bug would make a good autocross car - do they make quality suspension parts? Greg - let me know if you ever decide to unload that 2002.

DON"T DO IT!!!! Buy something allready done if your of mind to...

tabs, don't you have a car he can restore for you. :)

I have a '71 914 that I was going to turn into a track car (it's a decent restoration candidate and in generally decent shape but not perfect by any means), but given how many projects I have right now and how little free time I have to spend on them, perhaps I could work out a deal to sell it with you?

PM me if interested for details.

Sent you a PM, Jeff.

914, 240Z, 2002, '60s Mustang, Alfa GTV (still fairly cheap). Driver type examples of all can be found under $10k. Personally, I'd go for the Alfa, because they're dead sexy. '60s Mustang would be another good one, it's the only musclecar that hasn't skyrocketed in value. Dirt cheap parts, both new and used, available everywhere. Not much of an autoX car though. Other interesting ideas would be a 1st gen RX7 or 1st gen GTi.

I vote for a 914. they are inexpensive enough and make a great autox candidate. Very fun.

Gonna go out on a limb here....1st generation RX7. Fun, nimble, simple, quick and more plentiful than flies. Rust generally isn't an issue. A/C works fairly well if that is a consideration. More after market speed/performance products that are cheap cheap cheap....especially if you buy used. Huge factory support thru Mazdaspeed. Used whole parts cars can be picked up for chump change. Maybe not as iconic as a 914 or 2002 but still a noteworthy car.

Well Cesiro likely just shot a load all over his screen!


I like the Miata idea as well. Girl car or not they get raced and that, in my book, makes it more of a mans car than 90% of the late model mustangs, neons, vettes, etc. out there.

914 would be a winner too.

BUT for ease of parts i suspect a trans-am era (the race series) domestic would be great fun. i've had the bug for a trans-am replica for some time and i suspect a very cool car could be done for reasonable bucks.

Good point on having to LOVE the car too. If i wasn't completely infatuated with my 911 i'd have given up long ago. It takes quite a bit of irrational commitment to get through such a thing.

For a trans-am era domestic, it's hard to go wrong with a Mustang. The GMs and Mopars have all gone through the roof, but the Mustangs are still reasonable. For now at least. For a fun car that you could track, a Shelby clone would be a lot of fun.