Best Cars To Modify On A Tight Budget

VW Lupo

The VW Lupo is potentially the cheapest on our list. Thanks to its age and small 1.0L or 1.4L engine, it can be found for around £2,500. This makes it the perfect beginner’s car for modifying.

You can pick up reasonably priced coil overs for the Lupo, and because it has small wheels, you can add aftermarket alloys for under £400. A 1.2” to 1.5” sports exhaust will help air flow through to the engine, and uprating the suspension will help with that bumpy feeling that the Lupo is known for. 

Subaru Impreza WRX

Subaru Imprezas are one of the most popular Japanese cars to modify. In fact, it’s harder to find a used WRX that hasn’t been modified by its previous owners. You can get a Subaru for around £4,000, although the average cost is around £7,000 for an unmodified example. Rare or high-spec models can reach over £20,000 regularly.

But there’s more to it than fitting those famous gold alloys. Your Impreza modification options are endless. Depending on the model you get your hands on, you can perform engine upgrades and remapping, intercooler upgrades, add a new exhaust… and should you wish, many rally team decals.  

Mini Cooper

The Mini Cooper is a great starter car for your first modification project. With endless customisation options, body kits and alloy packages available, you can easily ramp up the look of your Mini and make it truly individual.

There are the usual engine tweaks you can make to give your Mini some extra oomph, including suspension upgrades and new exhausts. Or you can choose to tweak it cosmetically, setting it apart with a custom paint job or decals. 

You can get Minis from the 2000s for around £1,500, and with a 1.6l engine as standard in many, you’ve got a lot of power in a small body.

Depending on age and condition, the MX-5 is another car that’s perfect for smaller budgets, starting at around £1500. Of course, this rises considerably the newer the model, but the MX-5 remains an all round popular car to modify. There is a multitude of body kits, spoilers, splitters and wheels available for a reasonable price. 

The Mazda MX-5 is an incredibly popular mod car, as it’s a relatively simple base with many, many opportunities to add your own spin to it. They’re cars loved by the JDM community, the sports car community and the entire car community in general. Even Jeremy Clarkson likes them!

Citroen Saxo

As a budget project car, a Citroen Saxo offers great opportunity for customisation, having been a strong staple in the modding scene since the ‘90s. You can grab one of these hatchbacks for under £1000, and you’ll be able to find many cheap external mods on the market to get you started.

Some people will strip it back to the chassis, especially with the 1.1l version, although the 1.6l version is a better base to start with, as you’ve got the bigger engine from the get-go.

BMW E46 (3 Series)

You can pick up a BMW E46 (3 Series) for relatively cheap, with starting prices at around £1,000 for one that needs some work. Easy to modify, you can make the car very much your own. New coilovers, an intake upgrade, new exhaust, wheels, the list goes on. Brakes are a great place to start, as are swapping in some fresh alloys.

It’s also a bigger car, so much more ideal if you want a modded car that you can also take the family out in.

Honda S2000

The Honda S2000 has been out of production since 2009, yet it has become more desirable than ever thanks to a purist mechanical layout that is unlikely to ever be repeated. The high-revving naturally aspirated motor is hard to improve upon, but there’s plenty of suspension and cosmetic updates to choose from.

From carbon fibre aero kits to advanced exhaust systems, there’s a lot you can do to make your S2000 stand out even more.

Lexus IS200

The IS200 is another car that succeeds in terms of aftermarket parts support from years of racing heritage. It is the same car as the Toyota Altezza, which was marketed as a sporty sedan, with a change in engine and interior only.