What to build 2026: Affordable Edition
It’s New Year so new you right? So maybe your current car is toast or you just wanna get into something else and don’t have a huge budget. Thats totally okay cause it’s the main reason I put together this list. Now before we get into the list I wanna take a moment to talk about a few assumptions. While these may be a bit presumptuous this guide isn’t so much a “do it exactly this way” but something that you could look at to find similar things of interest or philosophy and apply it to shopping for your next car. My idea behind this list was giving ideas to potentially younger enthusiasts who may be short on funds, or need something that can cover more than one need. I feel like this situation is more representative of most and as someone who owns to many cars lives definitely easier in more ways than one when you can focus on just a single vehicle. With that all being said everything here is focused on being something you could probably get some financing on or purchase outright if you got a bit of money together, have decent aftermarket support and be something that has enough reliability and creature comforts to function as your main vehicle.
BMW 135i/335i (E8/9x)
This is probably one of the options on the list that will have the most variance in both initial purchase price and maintenance costs. If you are someone who isn’t super familiar with getting your hands dirty or unable to work on something do to rules in your HOA or apartment these may be a bit difficult of an option, However if you can get past that these cars got quite a bit of potential and can be seriously fun on a budget. You also got a lot of different options, from coupes or sedans and wagons. Of course if you wanted something a little less painful in the maintenance you could grab a x28 car or find something with X drive if you’d prefer AWD. Now personally I am quite a big fan of the E82 and while it’s probably going to be the most expensive of this group it isn’t too hard to turn them into little rocket ships. With n54 cars easily being able to clear 400+ Hp with bolt ons and being able to push quite a bit more than that without opening the block you have some serious growing room so long as you can keep on top of that maintenance. With a pretty decent aftermarket you’ll have plenty of support for bolt ons and that means you can get pretty far without going to crazy which is nice when you need something to be relatively reliable. And sure it’s not a modern B58 car but that doesn’t mean these cars with a little bit of effort can’t still compete.
Honda Civic Si (9th Gen)
You might be wondering why the 9th generation SI specifically. While I do think the 10th gen cars got a bit more potential in the power department I think the overall quality of the 9th generation is just a bit higher and being a Naturally aspirated platform I think its a bit better suited for that College kid or young adult entering the serious career phase in life. Also offered in a sedan and a coupe it leaves you with some option for choice and being one of the last cars equipped with a K24 this things got potential whether you wanted to add boost in the future or just do some bolt ons and focus on the handling aspects these things can really be a blast. Perfect if you need to be able to commute a good amount since they’ll get decent Fuel economy and the ability to really ring it out on backroads. Honda has always had a pretty good record with their manual transmissions and banging gears in a K powered Honda is pretty much guaranteed to put a smile on your face so you can be sure you’ll be having fun even if you decide not to push a bunch of power through it.
Ford Mustang (S197 11-14)
Yeah yeah we know there a bit of a dime a dozen and everyone in one can’t drive. But if you put the jokes about leaving parking lots aside these can be a TON of car for the money. I mean 400HP right out the box and with the potential ceiling on the coyote you can really turn these things up faster than you might be able to get comfortable behind the wheel at that power. The Coyote 5.0 is a super stout platform too so you dont have to feel guilty about putting some miles on this chassis as they’ll just eat em up and since this car is a Grand Tourer its comfortable on road trips and has a surprisingly large trunk and back seat. Now it may not be perfect if you have multiple passengers often but if you like to fly solo or just with a partner you can have a lot of fun. You got a lot of potential with the aftermarket as well so no matter what direction you wanted to go your wallets really the only limiting factor here. A Few bucks and a blower is the only thing stopping you from gapping most things you come across on the road so if your looking for the most power of anything on this list the S197 is probably the pick for you.
Mitsubishi Evolution X GSR
Like the E9x platform the prices on these can really be all over the place so you might have to look for one to really fall into budget, However they do pop up under 20k (as of writing this article). And while it is amongst the pricier side of the stuff on this list I do think that it's one of the more versatile options here too. I mean it’s a turbo 4 Cyl AWD Sedan, what’s not to love about that. Some people like to complain about the 4b11 and how the Evo X “isn’t a real EVO” but you’re the one driving it so you can make that distinction for yourself. What you do get here is a peppy Turbo 4 that has a huge aftermarket and responds well to power adders and while it might not be the most reliable thing to beat on from this list its something that I think can really deliver on its moneys worth for you. So if you need something thats gonna give you some big potential, offer AWD and a solid driving experience then I don’t think you can really go wrong with this pick whatsoever.
Acura TSX (Wagon)
Following a bit in the mindset of the 9th Gen Si I think the TSX wagon gives you a very good blend of performance and reliability that an adult needs without sacrificing the fun and the looks so much. It’s gonna need a little bit of help getting the suspension dialed in but its gonna be pretty peppy and enjoyable and with that V6 its got a little more grunt then something like the Si has. With options for stuff like superchargers as well this could turn into something thats a bit of a sleeper, and while it probably won’t make Mustang or EVO power it certainly isn’t going to stand out in the apartment complex parking lot or have your co workers thinking you might be just a bit of a chach. For the money this is a really solid vehicle for someone that wants to have the ability to move the family or the dog around while also having something thats just a bit nicer and unsuspecting unlike that EVO with the big wing and extra aggressive styling.
