5 Used Enthusiast Cars That Are Great Project Cars
It makes a lot of sense to buy used cars as project cars. Here are 5 used enthusiast cars that are also great project cars.
Project cars are what keep enthusiasts going, and there are a few cool Project cars in the Indian market that make a lot of sense to buy used. Tampering with a brand-new car is quite nerve-racking, which is why we always tend to lean towards pre-owned examples of tuner cars when someone is looking for a project car.
While working on cars is an extremely expensive hobby in India, there are still quite a few deals to be had in the project car space. Here are 5 used enthusiast cars that are great project cars. We have combined a list which comprises both cars in the upper range of the price range and also more affordable ones.
The Volkswagen Polo was on sale in India for nearly a decade, and during this decade, it did not see much change. There were, however, a lot of drivetrain options and a cult like following with enthusiasts. The Polo has long dominated the motorsport industry of India as well. Both diesel and turbo petrol options were available for the Polo, but we like the end-of-the-line 1.0L TSI engines, which were paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. There are a lot of aftermarket options for the Pol,o which range from engine mods to all-out suspension bits.
The Skoda Octavia has always been a favourite amongst enthusiasts. There were four generations of the Octavia sold in India. There were both petrol and diesel options, and all the engines are quite competent in terms of mods. The holy grail of the Octavias were obviously the vRS models and the ones that every enthusiast wants. The last vRS model was the vRS 245, and these cars are extremely popular with the Indian tuning industry, with people running more than 600 bhp and a fully swapped Haldex AWD system on many of the cars. While a little on the expensive side, there is no end to how you can modify an Octavia vRS.
The BMW 3-Series is another great platform. The front engine and rear wheel drive configuration is what every enthusiast wants, and most of these cars can be had in the used market for quite a bargain. Not all of them are in good shape, though, but this is what having a project car is all about. While there were a few old generations of the 3-Series which were privately imported, they cost a lot of money. The ones to look out for are the E90 generation onwards cars. The E90 also had the 330i with a silky smooth N52 6-cylinder engine on offer. The later generation F30 series cars are also quite a lot of value for money in the used car market. The G-Series cars are still on the expensive side, but there is the fabled M340i, which is still the dream for many enthusiasts.
The Honda Jazz is quite an underrated vehicle. It was only offered with a 1.2L NA i-VTEC engine in the Indian market, but there are a lot of mods available for these vehicles. People have swapped various engines; the L15 swap is essentially plug and play, and there are a lot of turbo and supercharger kits available for it on the market. Suspension, brakes and chassis mods are also plenty in the market. The Jazz comes with a brilliant chassis from the get-go, and there have been some crazy Jazz builds across the world which are there for inspiration.
The Maruti Suzuki Baleno RS is another gem of a vehicle from the Maruti Suzuki stable. The RS was a genuine effort from the Japanese brand to garner the interest of the enthusiast. The Baleno RS came with a 1.0L turbocharged Boosterjet engine, which was mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Prices were quite high for a Baleno, but it got a completely new bodykit and rear disc brakes. The Baleno RS was sold in plenty of numbers, and there are quite a few examples for sale in the pre-owned market.