Do-It-Yourself High Performance Car Mods

Budgeting Money and Time

Your choice of car and your choice of budget should fit together. It goes without saying that a $5,000 budget is not realistic if you want a Porsche 911, but going to the opposite extreme of a cheap car and a high budget can also come back to haunt you. Sink $80,000 into building the ultimate four-door Plymouth Volare, and few people are likely to understand, either when seeing it at car shows or looking to buy a hot rod. Building a high-dollar project using a cheap car is usually only a good idea if you absolutely must have that specific car and do not plan on selling it later, or if you’ve picked a model that a lot of other gearheads will also be willing to spend serious money on.

You can’t always base your estimated ...