I bought my S14s2 for 4.5k pearl white sprayed on-top of jungle green. Rebuilt 2 motors, 1 sr gearbox, GTR diff, 350z axles, cams, fuel system, z32 AFM, all the things...sold it for 14.5k just before COVID and it's worth 30k now haha. I miss that car
the one funny part is, you might have had 40k in it, only to sell it for 15-30 after all that time... but then again, you buy a new Camry for 40k and sell it for 12k later on.... cars are just silly. @@jonovoudouris
I just picked up a Mk2 Supra for $1900 :) But it's all getting crazy for sure. And the "good" engine and transmissions choices are starting to get hard to find at a reasonable price.
@@DolphinDivingChampeven with free tires, not counting gas, not counting car, not counting fixing the car 650 is not realistic to drive for 6 months and get 1,000 laps. Entry fees would be more than $650. Don’t lie to people. A more realistic total if you’re buying new tires (~250-300 a set, 2 sets a weekend) trying to be relatively competitive in a cheap series is about $800-1,000 a weekend to drift. A bit less if you are just doing donuts and learning or don’t drive much.
Been wanting to build a drift car since college > ten years later I finally get a little money > S13s are now $20k+ E36s are $15k+ clapped 350Zs and Miatas are all that's left
@bodhim4353 Same man. I finally got a decent paying job and now people want 8k for a salvage title 350 DE that barely runs. Maybe if the used market finally does crash, we will be able to afford it one day.
The global financial crisis of 2008 caused a drop in production and purchase of cars we would use for drifting. We are just now feeling the effects of that gap of production as there are not very many cars that would fill that need like the cars of the 90s-early 2000s did.
From the old school, keep it simple if your gonna wreck it. You got to have a great gig or job. If not work in the industry or get a place with a garage in the sticks. My best drift days came from living and working at a mech/body shop. Get into a group or community and have resources and people who can hook it up. Lots of other advice to offer but whos listening
Even if you are a mechanic it’s still nice to have a chassis with bolt on options available. You need a lot of equipment and time to be able to fabricate a custom build.
I found a clean sc400 chassis for less than $1500 in trade value less than a year ago. I knew I would never find anything close to this without rust ever again and I jumped on it even though it needed completely rewired and had a rebuilt title. The rails were straight, 0 rust anywhere(insane for a car in Indiana), had all the service records up to 190k miles, and most importantly it already has a proven engine that can be hammered on an day and not break a sweat. I had bought it not knowing for sure if it was a big rod 1uz or one of the changeover 95 models that just looks like one from the outside. Got really lucky and it was a big rod, forged, non vvti and after inspecting it internally she is just getting broken in. Still working on getting it all sorted out, things like getting an aem standalone installed, fabbing bash bars, and most of all making sure everything is safe for it's first drive. A lot of work but I would do it again in a heart beat. On my budget and the way the market has gone I was starting to give up on the idea of getting back into drifting.
@@swiftly1937 I absolutely will and completely agree. It's a car that's hard not to fall in love with once you see one in person just lowered and with rims. They were really slept on cars for years and now, just like all the other rwd jdm cars, they are skyrocketing in value. Hopefully that will start to open up some more aftermarket support. Plenty of the underlying components are just mk iv supra but we have very little interior or exterior mods easily attainable and 1uz engine stuff basically all comes from NZ and AU. I remind myself every time I'm fighting to get something to come free that I'm fortunate I even have it, it'll be worth it in the end, and it's better to find this stuff now and get it sorted than later on track or the street where it could go very wrong very fast. Ntm, I've always hated getting a car together just for something to break that causes you to tear a major portion of the car apart.
"we loved these cars because they were cheap" THANK YOU it's like everyone forgot what was so cool about these attainable drift missiles. they were cheap!! on top of being cheap, we were also back in the good days where 40 hrs a week was pretty close to enough to afford rent and a hobby. now the cars are expensive and the houses? oof. best advice i was ever given: give up. don't even dream. you're gonna be a lot happier if you just forget about fun.
in Australia the best option is an AU Falcon sedan or ute, easy angle with the stock uprights, easy wheel alignment, easy locked diff, comfortable, the second best is a BA falcon but they need more things to be as bullet proof
This is an incredible amount of knowledge, from the outside looking in. All these trade offs, balancing, and realistic point of views. Thanks for making this video
Working with this is actually part of the challenge to me. Obviously, we all want the coolest, best cars but that’s just not possible for most of us. I like trying to find cars (specifically for autocross) that have good performance potential, an existing parts eco-system, and are still below 3k. Its difficult to find that, but those deals are out there. Good deals used to be easier to find, but yeah things have changed. As a long-time poor person, it just means I have to put in a lot of research but you gotta do what ya gotta do 🤷♂️
As a euro importer I have a dream of everyone drifting diesel shitboxes, there are millions of cheap, manual, rwd, oem turbo cars in europe alot of then just happen to be diesel.
@@Chuckfinlee432 California having such a large drift and car scene in general never made sense to me, with all those regulations and smog etc. Even in Florida which is still a top 3 population state in the country, and has basically 0 vehicle regulations. Yet the numbers from shows and races still have Cali pulling wayyyyy ahead, same with Texas. Florida is always so behind, seems to be lacking tracks and long standing drift focused shops that keep cali going. That got rambly but essentially Cali will find a way, if theres cheap drift cars to be had the State with the most drifters will find a loophole somewhere
48:39 I love that you even mentioed a sim. For me having a sim has been an incredible tool for forging driving skill and even if one chooses to go with all the best stuff it's still fairly affordable compared to building a car or something crazy like that. Also coming from other motorsports I've completely fallen in love with my sim and I think it's heartwarming to see it be unexpectedly validated in a sort of real way like that. :)
Corvettes aren't hard to work on 🤷♀️ can change a clutch in a day on jack stands. Buy a stock c5(or as close to stock you can find), do angle, radiator, seat and hydro with a 245 squared set up and get seat time 🤘
My first 240 was bone stock for 2 grand. I sold it and bought a 350z HR for 13k back in 2013. Best drift car I ever had. Been out of the game for about 6 years now and doesn’t seem like I’ll be able to drift again for the foreseeable future.
Thanks for such a comprehensive video! It seems like I got priced out of drifting right about the time I started making decent money. Heck, I remember helping a buddy go pick up a running s13 for 3 sets of rota wheels years ago 😅. At least you can still put together a sub $500 sim rig..better than nothing at this point!
This video is so accurate, should be labeled as "The Ugly TRUTH" Here after 1.5 years and a Family w/ Kids; just finished my 2JZ FRS SWAP and NEVER DRIFTED YET.... Love it man, so accurate!!!
Here in sweden, a lot of people pick E90s as their prefered drift beater. Strong OEM parts and avaiable everywhere. Recently saw an e90 335i thats twin turbo straight 6. All it needs is an LSD Conversion and its ready for some fun
I feel like it is still easier to find a manual 335 than it is to do that whole controller swap isn't it? that controller is as much as the whole car installed and running? I don't even know, I haven't done one yet. My last 335i was 3-4k?
In Poland HR 350z at their lowest were like 8k USD for a RHD UK import. Now these are 20k USD 🥺🔫 all that’s left are E36s and they’re getting a lot more expensive than 3-4 years ago. We were able to buy a M54B30 swapped 36s for like 3k USD ready to drift.
@@LoneStarDrift we can freely import cars from any other country so 95-98% of them are imported from Germany, France, Italy etc Depending from where you import different fees apply like excise, import duty and 23% VAT if the car is from outside the European Union
The FRS with the new URAS, Origin Lab, Futago Line and that dmax 3 looking kit is going to be the new s13. It’s got that style and doesn’t sound like a trumpet.
Especially with the new(ish) 86 line. Making the older FRS's cheaper while using similar parts? I may be VERY wrong as I dont know the frs/brz/86 chassis but looking at it from the outside it seems that they'll get pretty cheap here soon
There are so many good takes in this video, and are helpful for people not even interested in drifting. Especially about the difference between building v driving cars. So many people don’t realize whether they’re the type of person who wants to drive cars or build cars until they’re heavily invested in a project car.
Also track days are now minimum $1000. Entry, few sets of tires, fuel, food and you are easily $500-1000 without breaking anything or using a truck and trailer. Couple hundred just in fuel to get to events… it’s getting expensive.
I remember when D1NZ started here in New Zealand late 90s ish,All ya needed was a $900 C33 or Cefiro a RB25DET from a Import front cut for maybe 2 k ,locked diff few tires,there were thousands of R32GTST at that time and they were 6 ish 7 k nzd,R32GTR were 30 k ,7 k GTR front cuts by the container load ,Laurels and Cefiros 1k ,Uso liked them but lotta RB20E sohc C33 and A31 autos ,now all worth silly money ,we used buy Laurals go halves strip them to a bare shell get them that dont go for 400 ,drive it 3 km with blown head gasket RB20E C33 Laural it gets home mint low km tidy strip ,then body people pick up the shell gone to scrap lol
Aaron you are the best! Thank you for another amazing and informative video. I bought my drift Corvette because of you and i absolutely love it. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge with us. You are awesome! 👍😊
4 year turbo e 36 build here and had a kid mid way through.. fucking thankful I pushed through the build and didn't become a statistic 😂 Aaron's dead ass right about all this stuff so listen up boys!!
Lol feel this. My car that took me 3 years to build got totalled this season. Starting all over sucks. Looking at 20k to just have close to what i had before. That not including my motor and trans that was about 9-10k to build
I paid 5800 for my e36 328, I've put double into it and only drifted once...soon lol but I've also learned so much working on it, building it how I want and properly put each part on it. Now I'm a little scared to go drift it :/
A list of cars I can think of off the top of my head that are cheaper than 10k and even closer to 5k and are proven for drifting. 4th and 5th gen Camaros: I know the catfish is ugly but in my area (central Texas) catfish camaros can be found with a V6 or V8 with 5mt for relatively cheap 2-5k And I know the 5th gen camaro is big and boaty but they’ve been proven as decent drift cars and have even been built for Proam before and the LS platform can make good power easily. SN95, New edge, and S197 mustangs: the SN95 mustang is at its all time low in terms of depreciation. They can be found for extremely cheap with a 4.6l v8 and even a V6 with manual transmissions and LSDs. The New edge mustang is a little more expensive than the average SN95 because it just looks better, it’s also available in a 4.6l 2V V8 or 4V V8 or a V6 The S197 is basically fords attempt at retro styling on the mustang, I personally don’t like the looks but they’ve been used as drift cars in Texas a lot and there’s lots of aftermarket support for them suspension wise, they’ve also came with a 3V V8 or cyclone V6 which made decent power for the price. Hyundai genesis coupe: The genesis coupe is a car I don’t know much about but I do know it’s V6 Rwd and came in manual, I looked on marketplace and they’re relatively cheap and seem to have decent aftermarket support for drifting. Im Texas there are lots of BMWs from E90 chassis to E30 chassis for relatively cheap, but they’re not a car I know much about, I found a 530i manual transmission sedan with a gutted interior and a hydro Ebrake for 956 dollars in Austin texas and the car even started and would move under its own power it just needed a new clutch and throw out bearing. G35s are relatively cheap in my area, mainly in the sedan version and most of them came automatic so if you’re a mechanical person you could swap the auto trans out for a 350z manual 6 speed and it’ll be ready to build out into a drift car. And as a parting piece of advice, if you want a car you can build into a drift car, dont get impatient! Keep window shopping on Facebook marketplace and look for deals cus good deals do in fact pop up when you least expect it.
After years of dreaming, I finally got selected in H1B visa lottery. If I pass the interview, I'll come to the U.S. and finally learn drifting. JZX100 has always been my dream car. But after I saw this video, I kinda lost hope. Seems like a jzx is not a good choice for a beginner like me. But god dammit I'm in love with them
Manual Z4 m54, bc coilovers, pmc lock adapters, Stock e brake, diff, rear camber toe arms and a seat $3000 low power seat time car endless laps with good tyre wear/life
I'm going the route of getting a a stock manual parts car really cheap and tearing it down. I sold parts off it to make the money back off the car and now that it's "free" I'm found a similar car in need of a rebuild I got for cheap that I'm swapping harnesses with along with everything that comes with that and coilovers and thats it. Trying to keep the build under 5k for a season. 97 540i 6 speed didn't mention that.
I bought a 1997 5-speed 240sx when I was 20 for $12,900. Im 42 now. I joined the military shortly after I got it and in San Diego around 2003 I got a Silvia front clip and did the swap. Pretty much did just about everything you could do to that car, vis carbon fiber hood, body kit, staggered wheels, etc. It had bigger turbo, injectors, stand alone, i/c, battery in trunk, gutted from front seats back, qd steering wheel, poly bushings etc etc. when I got out of active duty in 2009 I sold it shortly after for $6,500 after falling on hard times. Pretty much sold it for blue book and not mods value. I regret it to this day. I literately still have dreams that I bought it back only to wake up disappointed and emotional. I think about it all the time, you would’ve thought it was the love of my life lol. I swear someday I’ll buy another.
Your awesome wish I wasn’t in class and had more time to offer feed back. I want to find a reasonable way to come out and do unreasonable things with the rest you super hero’s . Seriously though thank you for thinking through all of this and laying it out. So helpful
The timing on this video is funny. I bought a mostly clapped out g35 in 2020 for 4.5k and spent the last 3 years adressing a majority of the high mileage related isses. All the while having a family and using it as a daily as well. Now I'm about 14-15k into it with parts, moderate labor costs, and learning to D.I.Y. a lot. It's not a collector car and the intention is to use it as a seat time car. But its nearly gut wrenching to think that its still worth 5-6k if I wanted to sell, and has had so many issues addressed that it would be stupid to get out of it for a different platform or vehicle. If theres any advice I would go back and give myself, it would be to either rent a seat time car, or buy a daily and then a seat time car. Dont try to daily a seat time car on a budget. Hopefully someone can read this and not be 3 years into a build before they ever even make it to a track day. Thank you for putting out great content and confirming what I wish I'd known sooner.
Im yet to watch the whole video, but i feel happy with how cheap my v8 miata is to own maintain and drive, it costs me around 7usd per run at our local events 😅
11:30 i impulse bought a nissan gti-r with low miles but not in the best condition a while back, the decision to either track it or only do tame street driving has been a tough one. definitely want to have fun with it but it's rarity and lack of parts is holding me back
DUDE thank you so much! All the information is great to know! I just started drifting on a simulation setup and am considering taking it to the next level someday and drifting in real life. This video is very helpful and I'll be referring back to it
I think a lot of the cars currently in the ‘classic’ range will fall back into reality as the economy continues to get weirder over the next few years. Hobby’s are the first thing people let go of when they’re tight on cash. If you remember 240’s and 86’s jussst started to appreciate in 2005-7 when the economy was ripping right before 2008, then fell back to almost free by 2009. We’re already starting to see the cracks in the market form here in FL where housing costs have almost doubled over the last 3 years. All of the nice schassis and JZX’s listed for over 20k sit on marketplace for months before selling out of state.
I don't think '80s and '90s sports cars are going to come down to 2009 prices even if they fall yeah they may come down from 20K to 10K but they're not going to be $500
@@TwoDollarGararge Yeah I agree $10k was basically reality for any cool, well sorted 90’s car until right before Covid. But I think almost everyone who’s owned one can agree the ownership experience of an schassis, e36, jzx, etc. isn’t really worth 20k +
@@gokartsRfun that depends on what time you buy into the market. Obviously I'm in the Porsche 944 community my car is only my profile picture a good run and drive plain Jane 944 is about 5,000 A lot of the older guys that were in this community since the early 2010s complain about the pricing about how they used to be $700 for a runner that may have been 10:15 years ago but not today
@@TwoDollarGararge Fine by me... I'm holding out for any manual tt Z32 around 2025, got 30k cad saved up rn but all invested until i graduate and look for a job. I'm seeing a lot of them in my area for ~20-25k cad and even higher that haven't sold for months, even up to a year. If they stay at these prices or even decrease by the time 2025 comes around, i'll be very happy lmao
@@calibarn.z32 well when they become unaffordable unobtainian to young people and they no longer care about it That's the cycle of classic cars same thing happened to pre-war cars in the '80s and '90s and A lot of '50s cars In the early 2000s
Your channel introduced me to Wout (DriftJesus) and I actually got to meet him this past weekend at No Coast Drift Party by Officer Dan. It was my first drift event driving and I was so excited to tell Wout I was there in an e46! 😅😂❤ I asked him for a pic but I had to go move my car and when I came back I had missed my chance😭
@LoneStarDrift I know it made my day! Your interview videos I feel are the best thing to learn from along with Chelsea's videos but I'm just kinda hurt that you seem to downplay bmws quite a bit but at the same time please keep doing it because we don't need them at S-chassis prices haha
One thing I always wonder about is we mention the mustangs and they’re solid. But why not the 5th gen camaro. I understand they have weaker diffs but they have independent rear suspension and ls and I believe the 5th gen used a t56 could be wrong. I had a 6th gen and thought it could have been a solid drift car it handled surprisingly well for its size but I could not justify crashing it trying to find out and it had a button parking brake I hated no handbrake slides. I know one guy ran one in fd years ago but I’m not sure of the problems he faced
Yeah I don't know why no one runs Camaros, they just don't get used. Super odd. Anyone know why? No parts availability for angle kits or something? They don't even cross my mind.
It just hurts now cause newer stuff never even makes it to the bottom of the curve now or like the bottom of the curve is 15k. Not like the old days where you could get a semi sorted car for under 5k. And with all the new stuff costing sooooo much, and becoming hard to find without stupid amount of markup on the manual trans. It just hurts seeing how expensive everything is. Atleast the bar for entry on sim driving/drifting has gotten so low and cheap, that half the time it just better to get on assetto with the squad. Cause you can crash all you want all night and it won’t even cost you $10 on your electric bill.
They're rare to find in a mt and swaps are not cheap for them. I can find mt is300's for around 5k but a manual sc300 is like a unicorn! They're just not out there and as easy to obtain. I just picked up a 350z for 4k about 5 months ago though. G's and z's are like the best bet rn. I see a lot of e36 and e46 for under 5k too.
@@jpleon314 I've seen one in nearly mint condition on marketplace here in jacksonville florida for 25k. They're already super expensive but that's pittance compared to a mint supra.
i know this doesn't aplly to the US but we are getting a but ton of crown athletes, majestas, mark x's V370 skylines for around 4-5k usd. Not super light but still fun
In the UK you could get a good condition R33 GTR for around £15-£18k back around 2003-2006. Then prices started to head up for anything Japaneese, RWD, manual & could now be imported to the US. That's what made the market go crazy. When I sold my R34 GTT back in 2012 I got back roughly what I paid for it. Now, they're going for double that or triple with low miles & a no rust (esp the sills) The exporters then realised how much money can be made in getting the cars ready for the US market, thats when the prices went crazy. The Japanese sellers also know how much they can make which is why there's small warehouses filled with Skylines, Supras, S14's, S15's RX-7's, Honda Civic EK9's...the list goes on, all with really low mileage. Gone are the days in the UK where you'd see someone daily a Supra or a Skyline just like any other sports car. Been a very long time since I spotted a lot of those cars I've listed.
Stock manual 350z needs seat 400$, coilovers 1200$, angle 1000$, and welded diff 300$.. then maybe a dual hydro set up 700$.. at this point you're good until the clutch is done.. but when it is 700-1400$... not including wheels and tires i have 5k to 6k getting stock 350z drift ready.
For someone who knows what drifting is and is somewhat familiar with how expensive cars can be, 370z hr motor budget drifting us little to none mechanical skills accounting for RL and family needs.
im taking welding classes now and im hoping i can improve my skill enough to get into a fab shop out in ny so i can meet like minded folk who want to build performance cars. im not a mechanic, but i have minor experience working at a mavis tire and id like to expand on what i learned there.
I just bought a manual e39 for 1500$ with a clean body, working(and healthy )m54 engine, welded diff and a hydro ebrake already installed. All it's got is a faulty ABS sensor. I mean I'm in canada and the body isn't even rusted through, so I'd say I got a deal, there's also a couple of e36's for sale for under 3k Right now. Though none of them are Ms
This was excellent! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience! It’s costly as is so minimizing the costs of the car and knowing what costs to expect help
Accepting 180s and s13s are now 30k in aus has been very heard, sold mine 3 years ago for 7k same price I bought it for and now there 20-30k 20 being pretty rough even shells no running gear are getting up to 10-11k which is insane
Ive had jdm vehicles my entire life but this is why I bought a newer style mustang. While I'll always love 90s jdm cars they're just not a valuable option for me anymore. And unfortunately modern jdm vehicles just arent as appealing when you can spend the same amount or less for arguably more reliable engines.
Man this is an excellent video! Also one thing I don't see people talk about is Subarus. All you have to do is get a manual Subaru, lock the center diff and take out the front axles. They're cheap af and EJ22 models are fairly reliable
Keep them simple. Im finishing up my best friends 03 mustang GT and its just coilovers and and a bolt on angle kit for suspension, bolt ons for power. Full interior, AC, and if i do anything else to it, itll probably be 3.73s to replace the stock 3.27s
I bought a few cars cheap back in the day, my best was my 180sx roller for $500 (AUD, so like $300USD) which I sold later on. My 33/34's all made a decent profit when I sold them as well. I've got an E90 now with a twin turbo N54 which is good fun. Expensive to break though lol
Nice thing about LS is that a lot have the same bolt pattern to tranny and they also sell bellhousing adapters/flex plates. You could pretty much throw any
I used to work in a wrecking yard and I bought a foxbody shell for crush weight and now im building what I call the junkyard drift car using all used parts
I'm still a couple years away from buying one, but an is300 is what I'm keeping my eye on and I'm happy to see they're still around the bottom of that curve, but the unfortunate thing is they're probably going up
The problem with the is300 is so many people DD them cause they’re so practical. So finding a >150,000 example in the US is quite the task. And if you’re looking at a manual one with low mileage you might as well forget it
the demand for a rwd, manual, lsd sedans or coupes in America is just not there anymore, most of the demand comes from gigantic computer crammed trucks or SUV's or subcompact crossovers, that break a lot and are very difficult to repair.
One thing I don't see mentioned a ton is the dropping price of later year V6 mustangs and camaros. They will be below 10k here soon and those cars are plenty powerful. 2008+ V6 Camaros make 312hp and 2011+ Mustang V6 make 302. I have seen these quite a bit at the track (grip racing not drifting) and they seem like a really good choice for a beater. Parts support is unrivaled, and especially the camaro can be made to handle incredibly well. I would not be suprised if the same applies to drifting.
@@trevormckeehen2010 they might have terrible steering angle idk. But for the most part I would assume that’s for one of 2 reasons. 1) until recently they were far too expensive, even v6s (if it’s gonna be 25k, might as well buy a nismo Z or an import) 2) it doesn’t fit the image
@@trevormckeehen2010the 2010-2015 cars are pretty heavy and the 2016+ cars haven’t depreciated much yet. I think the 2016+ cars will be a good platform if enough people try them for an aftermarket to form
@@Milano322 I know they’re a couple hundred pounds heavier than a mustang but some weight reduction could close the gap vs a stock mustang which is becoming a popular choice. I know it’s been done but idk why it hasn’t caught on the way the mustangs have. Maybe because they’re not getting much aftermarket support for drifting?
@@trevormckeehen2010 the 2016+ cars are actually a bit lighter than S550 Mustangs, Chevy shaved a lot of weight off of them switching from the Holden-based 5th gen to the Cadillac-based 6th gen. Lack of aftermarket support (for drifting) is definitely a big issue.
People either hate on the beams or absolutely adore it, the is300 isn’t exactly a accessible car anymore either most have crazy mileage in the us & are completely clapped out
i liked the '' money '' section was quite helpful, i have noticed over here especialy in the UK the old e36s even for a 328i are 6/7k+ and seem out the realm if your learning 350z u can still get from 4/6k and same for a e46 330ci 4/6k but what i did find in abundance for under 2k was the e9x series e92 320i (170bhp) in manual and alot of them, but ive not seen anyone talking about them being any good for drifting or not alot of info on them regarding drifting at all , is that just a overlooked car or a reason why they arent used?
Drifting was officially lost in 2019… that was the end of “grassroots” after that… every drift car had 10-20k into it. I use to buy a 240sx for $1000-2500.. sr20 swap from importer was $1200-2000 … cheap coils from a importer and you were good. Total into a car was under 5k and you could reuse the parts/swap. Now the swap alone is that price and the car is twice that… 350z/g35 is next closest cheap drift car and they are still 5-10k and another 5-10k to make it decent on the track. Tough for the next generation and why I think the sport will have a fall off.
My first 240sx was a S14 in 2005, bone stock pearl white with 75k miles for $1800. Miss those days for sure.
I bought my S14s2 for 4.5k pearl white sprayed on-top of jungle green. Rebuilt 2 motors, 1 sr gearbox, GTR diff, 350z axles, cams, fuel system, z32 AFM, all the things...sold it for 14.5k just before COVID and it's worth 30k now haha. I miss that car
the one funny part is, you might have had 40k in it, only to sell it for 15-30 after all that time... but then again, you buy a new Camry for 40k and sell it for 12k later on.... cars are just silly. @@jonovoudouris
We love cars
@@LoneStarDrift
I just picked up a Mk2 Supra for $1900 :) But it's all getting crazy for sure. And the "good" engine and transmissions choices are starting to get hard to find at a reasonable price.
@@Scoots1994 $1900 in running condition? Who's the old lady that sold it? 😂 jk
There are no cheap motorsports even at the low end.
Cheap is relative, but I did run a whole drift season for like $650 a couple years back, did about 1000 laps on the skid pad in about 6 months
lololol@borregoayudando1481
@@DolphinDivingChampeven with free tires, not counting gas, not counting car, not counting fixing the car 650 is not realistic to drive for 6 months and get 1,000 laps. Entry fees would be more than $650. Don’t lie to people. A more realistic total if you’re buying new tires (~250-300 a set, 2 sets a weekend) trying to be relatively competitive in a cheap series is about $800-1,000 a weekend to drift. A bit less if you are just doing donuts and learning or don’t drive much.
@@Phil60084 naw season pass at my skid pad was $289
RallyX
&
AutoX
Are both very affordable
can't believe I got priced out of the hobby so soon. lol.
Rad to have these videos every couple of years as a retrospective.
Been wanting to build a drift car since college > ten years later I finally get a little money > S13s are now $20k+ E36s are $15k+ clapped 350Zs and Miatas are all that's left
thank god we still have clapped out 350z to pick from lol ! it could be worse! @@bodhim4353
@@LoneStarDriftmy favorite!
@bodhim4353
Same man.
I finally got a decent paying job and now people want 8k for a salvage title 350 DE that barely runs.
Maybe if the used market finally does crash, we will be able to afford it one day.
@@bodhim4353 mustang mustang mustang. They're becoming more and more popular for drifting in the US for a reason.
The global financial crisis of 2008 caused a drop in production and purchase of cars we would use for drifting. We are just now feeling the effects of that gap of production as there are not very many cars that would fill that need like the cars of the 90s-early 2000s did.
From the old school, keep it simple if your gonna wreck it. You got to have a great gig or job. If not work in the industry or get a place with a garage in the sticks. My best drift days came from living and working at a mech/body shop. Get into a group or community and have resources and people who can hook it up. Lots of other advice to offer but whos listening
Well I'm listening this morning
Me
me
Drop your knowledge senpai
Need more old school knowledge out there. gotta respect your elders
This is the most informative, educational, and well explained video of the direction that drifting is going and changing. Love your videos!
thank you for the kind words!
Even if you are a mechanic it’s still nice to have a chassis with bolt on options available. You need a lot of equipment and time to be able to fabricate a custom build.
I found a clean sc400 chassis for less than $1500 in trade value less than a year ago. I knew I would never find anything close to this without rust ever again and I jumped on it even though it needed completely rewired and had a rebuilt title.
The rails were straight, 0 rust anywhere(insane for a car in Indiana), had all the service records up to 190k miles, and most importantly it already has a proven engine that can be hammered on an day and not break a sweat. I had bought it not knowing for sure if it was a big rod 1uz or one of the changeover 95 models that just looks like one from the outside. Got really lucky and it was a big rod, forged, non vvti and after inspecting it internally she is just getting broken in.
Still working on getting it all sorted out, things like getting an aem standalone installed, fabbing bash bars, and most of all making sure everything is safe for it's first drive. A lot of work but I would do it again in a heart beat. On my budget and the way the market has gone I was starting to give up on the idea of getting back into drifting.
lucky you! you found a hidden gem! I hope you cherish it up too its final day on the road
@@swiftly1937 I absolutely will and completely agree. It's a car that's hard not to fall in love with once you see one in person just lowered and with rims. They were really slept on cars for years and now, just like all the other rwd jdm cars, they are skyrocketing in value. Hopefully that will start to open up some more aftermarket support. Plenty of the underlying components are just mk iv supra but we have very little interior or exterior mods easily attainable and 1uz engine stuff basically all comes from NZ and AU.
I remind myself every time I'm fighting to get something to come free that I'm fortunate I even have it, it'll be worth it in the end, and it's better to find this stuff now and get it sorted than later on track or the street where it could go very wrong very fast. Ntm, I've always hated getting a car together just for something to break that causes you to tear a major portion of the car apart.
As someone who is younger and looking to get into drifting thank you for this.
"we loved these cars because they were cheap"
THANK YOU
it's like everyone forgot what was so cool about these attainable drift missiles. they were cheap!!
on top of being cheap, we were also back in the good days where 40 hrs a week was pretty close to enough to afford rent and a hobby. now the cars are expensive and the houses? oof.
best advice i was ever given: give up. don't even dream. you're gonna be a lot happier if you just forget about fun.
Doomer mindset.
in Australia the best option is an AU Falcon sedan or ute, easy angle with the stock uprights, easy wheel alignment, easy locked diff, comfortable, the second best is a BA falcon but they need more things to be as bullet proof
This is an incredible amount of knowledge, from the outside looking in. All these trade offs, balancing, and realistic point of views. Thanks for making this video
Working with this is actually part of the challenge to me. Obviously, we all want the coolest, best cars but that’s just not possible for most of us. I like trying to find cars (specifically for autocross) that have good performance potential, an existing parts eco-system, and are still below 3k. Its difficult to find that, but those deals are out there. Good deals used to be easier to find, but yeah things have changed. As a long-time poor person, it just means I have to put in a lot of research but you gotta do what ya gotta do 🤷♂️
As a euro importer I have a dream of everyone drifting diesel shitboxes, there are millions of cheap, manual, rwd, oem turbo cars in europe alot of then just happen to be diesel.
I am in Europe as well. I think you are right. Here, it is the option of choice because they are cheap and they are torquey.
That's a good way to get rid of the sport in CA due to emissions, and pollution from race events
@@Chuckfinlee432 californias has already banned them
Any Dacia??
@@Chuckfinlee432 California having such a large drift and car scene in general never made sense to me, with all those regulations and smog etc. Even in Florida which is still a top 3 population state in the country, and has basically 0 vehicle regulations. Yet the numbers from shows and races still have Cali pulling wayyyyy ahead, same with Texas. Florida is always so behind, seems to be lacking tracks and long standing drift focused shops that keep cali going.
That got rambly but essentially Cali will find a way, if theres cheap drift cars to be had the State with the most drifters will find a loophole somewhere
i dont even drift, but i feel like this could be applied to any enthusiast cars
48:39 I love that you even mentioed a sim. For me having a sim has been an incredible tool for forging driving skill and even if one chooses to go with all the best stuff it's still fairly affordable compared to building a car or something crazy like that. Also coming from other motorsports I've completely fallen in love with my sim and I think it's heartwarming to see it be unexpectedly validated in a sort of real way like that. :)
And Simracing will only get better and more realistic.
Corvettes aren't hard to work on 🤷♀️ can change a clutch in a day on jack stands. Buy a stock c5(or as close to stock you can find), do angle, radiator, seat and hydro with a 245 squared set up and get seat time 🤘
How is it economical though, when they're like double the price of a z?
In 2007 I picked up 1990 240sx coupe for $180 because the auto trans went out and the lady just left it at the shop and told them to keep it.
My first 240 was bone stock for 2 grand. I sold it and bought a 350z HR for 13k back in 2013. Best drift car I ever had. Been out of the game for about 6 years now and doesn’t seem like I’ll be able to drift again for the foreseeable future.
Thanks for such a comprehensive video!
It seems like I got priced out of drifting right about the time I started making decent money.
Heck, I remember helping a buddy go pick up a running s13 for 3 sets of rota wheels years ago 😅.
At least you can still put together a sub $500 sim rig..better than nothing at this point!
As the old Lone Star Drift vid states, buy a E46 330i or ci and call it a day. Weld the diff, SLR that thing throw a hydro ebrake and you good
This video is so accurate, should be labeled as "The Ugly TRUTH"
Here after 1.5 years and a Family w/ Kids; just finished my 2JZ FRS SWAP and NEVER DRIFTED YET....
Love it man, so accurate!!!
Here in sweden, a lot of people pick E90s as their prefered drift beater. Strong OEM parts and avaiable everywhere. Recently saw an e90 335i thats twin turbo straight 6. All it needs is an LSD Conversion and its ready for some fun
One cheap option going forward is an auto e90/e92 335i with an HTG controller on the transmission to give you a clutch with a pseudo sequential.
Oh yeah. I was so happy when i realized i can turn my slk280 into a semi drift machine.
Lol
I feel like it is still easier to find a manual 335 than it is to do that whole controller swap isn't it? that controller is as much as the whole car installed and running? I don't even know, I haven't done one yet. My last 335i was 3-4k?
Yes but they are 20k with high milage.
In Poland HR 350z at their lowest were like 8k USD for a RHD UK import. Now these are 20k USD 🥺🔫 all that’s left are E36s and they’re getting a lot more expensive than 3-4 years ago. We were able to buy a M54B30 swapped 36s for like 3k USD ready to drift.
Where did you get all the E36? Were they Polish cars or imports?
@@LoneStarDrift we can freely import cars from any other country so 95-98% of them are imported from Germany, France, Italy etc Depending from where you import different fees apply like excise, import duty and 23% VAT if the car is from outside the European Union
The FRS with the new URAS, Origin Lab, Futago Line and that dmax 3 looking kit is going to be the new s13. It’s got that style and doesn’t sound like a trumpet.
Especially with the new(ish) 86 line. Making the older FRS's cheaper while using similar parts?
I may be VERY wrong as I dont know the frs/brz/86 chassis but looking at it from the outside it seems that they'll get pretty cheap here soon
i hope they get 5k cheap@@drawster00
There are so many good takes in this video, and are helpful for people not even interested in drifting. Especially about the difference between building v driving cars.
So many people don’t realize whether they’re the type of person who wants to drive cars or build cars until they’re heavily invested in a project car.
Finally someone does a video like this for new people who wanna drift thank you 👍🏾
Also track days are now minimum $1000.
Entry, few sets of tires, fuel, food and you are easily $500-1000 without breaking anything or using a truck and trailer. Couple hundred just in fuel to get to events… it’s getting expensive.
great video was rewatching the video from 2019 thinking about how crazy the market is now!
and I was skinny and better looking! Dad life lol.
@@LoneStarDrift 😂
Thank you for making an updated version of this video to help people find the path that fits them
I remember when D1NZ started here in New Zealand late 90s ish,All ya needed was a $900 C33 or Cefiro a RB25DET from a Import front cut for maybe 2 k ,locked diff few tires,there were thousands of R32GTST at that time and they were 6 ish 7 k nzd,R32GTR were 30 k ,7 k GTR front cuts by the container load ,Laurels and Cefiros 1k ,Uso liked them but lotta RB20E sohc C33 and A31 autos ,now all worth silly money ,we used buy Laurals go halves strip them to a bare shell get them that dont go for 400 ,drive it 3 km with blown head gasket RB20E C33 Laural it gets home mint low km tidy strip ,then body people pick up the shell gone to scrap lol
Aaron you are the best! Thank you for another amazing and informative video. I bought my drift Corvette because of you and i absolutely love it. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge with us. You are awesome! 👍😊
thanks for the kind words!
4 year turbo e 36 build here and had a kid mid way through.. fucking thankful I pushed through the build and didn't become a statistic 😂 Aaron's dead ass right about all this stuff so listen up boys!!
Lol feel this. My car that took me 3 years to build got totalled this season. Starting all over sucks. Looking at 20k to just have close to what i had before. That not including my motor and trans that was about 9-10k to build
Great video! Would it be possible to describe or make a short video on the Nissan shim setup for a VLSD? Got a couple I’d like to convert.
I'd also love a video on vlsd shim for drifting
man i got out of drifting a few years ago right before covid, no wonder i havent been able to find my way back. might as well just find something new
I paid 5800 for my e36 328, I've put double into it and only drifted once...soon lol but I've also learned so much working on it, building it how I want and properly put each part on it. Now I'm a little scared to go drift it :/
Send it.
Go drive it if you don’t you’ll regret it. Everything is fixable
@@michaellapinskas9036 ya I am I got 2 drift events coming up but my clutch fan just blew so a little work then imma drive the shit outta her
@@Mmmgumballsfuck a clutch fan wire an electric fan to a switch with an inline fuse from the battery
@@drawster00 nawww Chelsea Denofa swears by clutch fans and he’s e36 master
Thanks for having Alexi from Noriyaro over for the Houston event this month!
A list of cars I can think of off the top of my head that are cheaper than 10k and even closer to 5k and are proven for drifting.
4th and 5th gen Camaros:
I know the catfish is ugly but in my area (central Texas) catfish camaros can be found with a V6 or V8 with 5mt for relatively cheap 2-5k
And I know the 5th gen camaro is big and boaty but they’ve been proven as decent drift cars and have even been built for Proam before and the LS platform can make good power easily.
SN95, New edge, and S197 mustangs:
the SN95 mustang is at its all time low in terms of depreciation. They can be found for extremely cheap with a 4.6l v8 and even a V6 with manual transmissions and LSDs.
The New edge mustang is a little more expensive than the average SN95 because it just looks better, it’s also available in a 4.6l 2V V8 or 4V V8 or a V6
The S197 is basically fords attempt at retro styling on the mustang, I personally don’t like the looks but they’ve been used as drift cars in Texas a lot and there’s lots of aftermarket support for them suspension wise, they’ve also came with a 3V V8 or cyclone V6 which made decent power for the price.
Hyundai genesis coupe:
The genesis coupe is a car I don’t know much about but I do know it’s V6 Rwd and came in manual, I looked on marketplace and they’re relatively cheap and seem to have decent aftermarket support for drifting.
Im Texas there are lots of BMWs from E90 chassis to E30 chassis for relatively cheap, but they’re not a car I know much about, I found a 530i manual transmission sedan with a gutted interior and a hydro Ebrake for 956 dollars in Austin texas and the car even started and would move under its own power it just needed a new clutch and throw out bearing.
G35s are relatively cheap in my area, mainly in the sedan version and most of them came automatic so if you’re a mechanical person you could swap the auto trans out for a 350z manual 6 speed and it’ll be ready to build out into a drift car.
And as a parting piece of advice, if you want a car you can build into a drift car, dont get impatient! Keep window shopping on Facebook marketplace and look for deals cus good deals do in fact pop up when you least expect it.
Good advice with the 350Zs. i've been to a few Lone Star events and there's a reason why it's called "the Sea of Z" lol
After years of dreaming, I finally got selected in H1B visa lottery. If I pass the interview, I'll come to the U.S. and finally learn drifting. JZX100 has always been my dream car. But after I saw this video, I kinda lost hope. Seems like a jzx is not a good choice for a beginner like me. But god dammit I'm in love with them
Manual Z4 m54, bc coilovers, pmc lock adapters, Stock e brake, diff, rear camber toe arms and a seat $3000 low power seat time car endless laps with good tyre wear/life
Drift your classic! -Sincerely, an R32 owner.
I'm going the route of getting a a stock manual parts car really cheap and tearing it down. I sold parts off it to make the money back off the car and now that it's "free" I'm found a similar car in need of a rebuild I got for cheap that I'm swapping harnesses with along with everything that comes with that and coilovers and thats it. Trying to keep the build under 5k for a season. 97 540i 6 speed didn't mention that.
I bought a 1997 5-speed 240sx when I was 20 for $12,900. Im 42 now. I joined the military shortly after I got it and in San Diego around 2003 I got a Silvia front clip and did the swap. Pretty much did just about everything you could do to that car, vis carbon fiber hood, body kit, staggered wheels, etc. It had bigger turbo, injectors, stand alone, i/c, battery in trunk, gutted from front seats back, qd steering wheel, poly bushings etc etc. when I got out of active duty in 2009 I sold it shortly after for $6,500 after falling on hard times. Pretty much sold it for blue book and not mods value. I regret it to this day. I literately still have dreams that I bought it back only to wake up disappointed and emotional. I think about it all the time, you would’ve thought it was the love of my life lol. I swear someday I’ll buy another.
Your awesome wish I wasn’t in class and had more time to offer feed back. I want to find a reasonable way to come out and do unreasonable things with the rest you super hero’s . Seriously though thank you for thinking through all of this and laying it out. So helpful
love these videos explaining things i been drifting 5 years and i always learn something
The timing on this video is funny. I bought a mostly clapped out g35 in 2020 for 4.5k and spent the last 3 years adressing a majority of the high mileage related isses. All the while having a family and using it as a daily as well. Now I'm about 14-15k into it with parts, moderate labor costs, and learning to D.I.Y. a lot. It's not a collector car and the intention is to use it as a seat time car. But its nearly gut wrenching to think that its still worth 5-6k if I wanted to sell, and has had so many issues addressed that it would be stupid to get out of it for a different platform or vehicle.
If theres any advice I would go back and give myself, it would be to either rent a seat time car, or buy a daily and then a seat time car. Dont try to daily a seat time car on a budget. Hopefully someone can read this and not be 3 years into a build before they ever even make it to a track day.
Thank you for putting out great content and confirming what I wish I'd known sooner.
Im yet to watch the whole video, but i feel happy with how cheap my v8 miata is to own maintain and drive, it costs me around 7usd per run at our local events 😅
11:30 i impulse bought a nissan gti-r with low miles but not in the best condition a while back, the decision to either track it or only do tame street driving has been a tough one. definitely want to have fun with it but it's rarity and lack of parts is holding me back
You should look into putting an evo gearbox in it. They can make 300-350hp with bolt ons it’s just the transmission holding them back
DUDE thank you so much! All the information is great to know! I just started drifting on a simulation setup and am considering taking it to the next level someday and drifting in real life. This video is very helpful and I'll be referring back to it
Why do you have the least amount of subscribers and yet one of the best channels for drifting and information.
The guy is seen as rude and unpleasant to, like, everyone.
I think a lot of the cars currently in the ‘classic’ range will fall back into reality as the economy continues to get weirder over the next few years. Hobby’s are the first thing people let go of when they’re tight on cash. If you remember 240’s and 86’s jussst started to appreciate in 2005-7 when the economy was ripping right before 2008, then fell back to almost free by 2009. We’re already starting to see the cracks in the market form here in FL where housing costs have almost doubled over the last 3 years. All of the nice schassis and JZX’s listed for over 20k sit on marketplace for months before selling out of state.
I don't think '80s and '90s sports cars are going to come down to 2009 prices even if they fall yeah they may come down from 20K to 10K but they're not going to be $500
@@TwoDollarGararge Yeah I agree $10k was basically reality for any cool, well sorted 90’s car until right before Covid. But I think almost everyone who’s owned one can agree the ownership experience of an schassis, e36, jzx, etc. isn’t really worth 20k +
@@gokartsRfun that depends on what time you buy into the market. Obviously I'm in the Porsche 944 community my car is only my profile picture a good run and drive plain Jane 944 is about 5,000 A lot of the older guys that were in this community since the early 2010s complain about the pricing about how they used to be $700 for a runner that may have been 10:15 years ago but not today
@@TwoDollarGararge Fine by me... I'm holding out for any manual tt Z32 around 2025, got 30k cad saved up rn but all invested until i graduate and look for a job. I'm seeing a lot of them in my area for ~20-25k cad and even higher that haven't sold for months, even up to a year. If they stay at these prices or even decrease by the time 2025 comes around, i'll be very happy lmao
@@calibarn.z32 well when they become unaffordable unobtainian to young people and they no longer care about it That's the cycle of classic cars same thing happened to pre-war cars in the '80s and '90s and A lot of '50s cars In the early 2000s
Your channel introduced me to Wout (DriftJesus) and I actually got to meet him this past weekend at No Coast Drift Party by Officer Dan. It was my first drift event driving and I was so excited to tell Wout I was there in an e46! 😅😂❤ I asked him for a pic but I had to go move my car and when I came back I had missed my chance😭
I bet that made his day!
@LoneStarDrift I know it made my day! Your interview videos I feel are the best thing to learn from along with Chelsea's videos but I'm just kinda hurt that you seem to downplay bmws quite a bit but at the same time please keep doing it because we don't need them at S-chassis prices haha
One thing I always wonder about is we mention the mustangs and they’re solid. But why not the 5th gen camaro. I understand they have weaker diffs but they have independent rear suspension and ls and I believe the 5th gen used a t56 could be wrong. I had a 6th gen and thought it could have been a solid drift car it handled surprisingly well for its size but I could not justify crashing it trying to find out and it had a button parking brake I hated no handbrake slides. I know one guy ran one in fd years ago but I’m not sure of the problems he faced
Yeah I don't know why no one runs Camaros, they just don't get used. Super odd. Anyone know why? No parts availability for angle kits or something? They don't even cross my mind.
Good stuff. Start saving up for the next car!
It just hurts now cause newer stuff never even makes it to the bottom of the curve now or like the bottom of the curve is 15k. Not like the old days where you could get a semi sorted car for under 5k. And with all the new stuff costing sooooo much, and becoming hard to find without stupid amount of markup on the manual trans. It just hurts seeing how expensive everything is.
Atleast the bar for entry on sim driving/drifting has gotten so low and cheap, that half the time it just better to get on assetto with the squad. Cause you can crash all you want all night and it won’t even cost you $10 on your electric bill.
Awesome advise! I’m curious, why was there no mention of the IS300, SC300, GS300. Are those not a good option?
They're rare to find in a mt and swaps are not cheap for them. I can find mt is300's for around 5k but a manual sc300 is like a unicorn! They're just not out there and as easy to obtain. I just picked up a 350z for 4k about 5 months ago though. G's and z's are like the best bet rn. I see a lot of e36 and e46 for under 5k too.
Dude SC300 will be 12-15k+ with a factory manual in decent condition if you can even find one. Lexus made nearly none.
@@jpleon314 I've seen one in nearly mint condition on marketplace here in jacksonville florida for 25k. They're already super expensive but that's pittance compared to a mint supra.
i know this doesn't aplly to the US but we are getting a but ton of crown athletes, majestas, mark x's V370 skylines for around 4-5k usd. Not super light but still fun
Drift Volvo 740's, one of the best cars ever made for it. Although prices have gone up like 4 fold in the last 6-7 years for em lol.
Texas has a million 350Z, but no 740 manuals, you NEVER see them at Texas drifting anything.
I miss when even the clean turbo ones were like $800
In the UK you could get a good condition R33 GTR for around £15-£18k back around 2003-2006. Then prices started to head up for anything Japaneese, RWD, manual & could now be imported to the US. That's what made the market go crazy. When I sold my R34 GTT back in 2012 I got back roughly what I paid for it. Now, they're going for double that or triple with low miles & a no rust (esp the sills)
The exporters then realised how much money can be made in getting the cars ready for the US market, thats when the prices went crazy. The Japanese sellers also know how much they can make which is why there's small warehouses filled with Skylines, Supras, S14's, S15's RX-7's, Honda Civic EK9's...the list goes on, all with really low mileage.
Gone are the days in the UK where you'd see someone daily a Supra or a Skyline just like any other sports car. Been a very long time since I spotted a lot of those cars I've listed.
Stock manual 350z needs seat 400$, coilovers 1200$, angle 1000$, and welded diff 300$.. then maybe a dual hydro set up 700$.. at this point you're good until the clutch is done.. but when it is 700-1400$... not including wheels and tires i have 5k to 6k getting stock 350z drift ready.
I'm using this to determine what track/rallycross car to buy.
For someone who knows what drifting is and is somewhat familiar with how expensive cars can be, 370z hr motor budget drifting us little to none mechanical skills accounting for RL and family needs.
We appreciate you Aaron
im taking welding classes now and im hoping i can improve my skill enough to get into a fab shop out in ny so i can meet like minded folk who want to build performance cars. im not a mechanic, but i have minor experience working at a mavis tire and id like to expand on what i learned there.
I just bought a manual e39 for 1500$ with a clean body, working(and healthy )m54 engine, welded diff and a hydro ebrake already installed. All it's got is a faulty ABS sensor. I mean I'm in canada and the body isn't even rusted through, so I'd say I got a deal, there's also a couple of e36's for sale for under 3k Right now. Though none of them are Ms
This was excellent! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience! It’s costly as is so minimizing the costs of the car and knowing what costs to expect help
Accepting 180s and s13s are now 30k in aus has been very heard, sold mine 3 years ago for 7k same price I bought it for and now there 20-30k 20 being pretty rough even shells no running gear are getting up to 10-11k which is insane
Ive had jdm vehicles my entire life but this is why I bought a newer style mustang. While I'll always love 90s jdm cars they're just not a valuable option for me anymore. And unfortunately modern jdm vehicles just arent as appealing when you can spend the same amount or less for arguably more reliable engines.
Man this is an excellent video! Also one thing I don't see people talk about is Subarus. All you have to do is get a manual Subaru, lock the center diff and take out the front axles. They're cheap af and EJ22 models are fairly reliable
13:31 You forgot the tandem King Vert With a WANNNNG
Im just glad i grabbed a bone stock 350z arizona car for 7k in 2021 or 2022. Cause pricing be bullshit.
I regret selling a few of my drift cars had a s13 that was actually clean a e46 and a genesis coupe 3.8 all super fun cars i need another one asap
Keep them simple. Im finishing up my best friends 03 mustang GT and its just coilovers and and a bolt on angle kit for suspension, bolt ons for power. Full interior, AC, and if i do anything else to it, itll probably be 3.73s to replace the stock 3.27s
I bought a few cars cheap back in the day, my best was my 180sx roller for $500 (AUD, so like $300USD) which I sold later on. My 33/34's all made a decent profit when I sold them as well. I've got an E90 now with a twin turbo N54 which is good fun. Expensive to break though lol
Nice thing about LS is that a lot have the same bolt pattern to tranny and they also sell bellhousing adapters/flex plates. You could pretty much throw any
I just bought a 95 GT and I have the smallest budget possible😂 but I’m in for some seat time
I used to work in a wrecking yard and I bought a foxbody shell for crush weight and now im building what I call the junkyard drift car using all used parts
I just had a kid but it’s cool cause the lady also loves cars and wants to learn to work on them with me. Family time is free time lol
this could apply to time attack or autoX as well, but you could mention mazda s if anyone asks as well for that
I'm still a couple years away from buying one, but an is300 is what I'm keeping my eye on and I'm happy to see they're still around the bottom of that curve, but the unfortunate thing is they're probably going up
The problem with the is300 is so many people DD them cause they’re so practical. So finding a >150,000 example in the US is quite the task. And if you’re looking at a manual one with low mileage you might as well forget it
>150,000k mile***
the demand for a rwd, manual, lsd sedans or coupes in America is just not there anymore, most of the demand comes from gigantic computer crammed trucks or SUV's or subcompact crossovers, that break a lot and are very difficult to repair.
Great video. Appreciate the info and thoughtful breakdown!!
Drifting a 350z is like guaranteed sex as much as you want for the rest of you life, but it’s only missionary with a 4.
Best analogy here lol
😂😂😂😂true
Missionary with a 4 is brutal, that’s more fitting for a miata/FRS. I’d drifting a 350 is doggy with a 6.
$5-8k for C6 corvettes? Man I missed that.
53:20 Don't personally attack me like that please.
There's a few in Florida for 7-10
One thing I don't see mentioned a ton is the dropping price of later year V6 mustangs and camaros. They will be below 10k here soon and those cars are plenty powerful. 2008+ V6 Camaros make 312hp and 2011+ Mustang V6 make 302. I have seen these quite a bit at the track (grip racing not drifting) and they seem like a really good choice for a beater. Parts support is unrivaled, and especially the camaro can be made to handle incredibly well. I would not be suprised if the same applies to drifting.
I never see Camaros drifting. I assume they must be terrible. Not sure why
@@trevormckeehen2010 they might have terrible steering angle idk. But for the most part I would assume that’s for one of 2 reasons. 1) until recently they were far too expensive, even v6s (if it’s gonna be 25k, might as well buy a nismo Z or an import) 2) it doesn’t fit the image
@@trevormckeehen2010the 2010-2015 cars are pretty heavy and the 2016+ cars haven’t depreciated much yet. I think the 2016+ cars will be a good platform if enough people try them for an aftermarket to form
@@Milano322 I know they’re a couple hundred pounds heavier than a mustang but some weight reduction could close the gap vs a stock mustang which is becoming a popular choice. I know it’s been done but idk why it hasn’t caught on the way the mustangs have. Maybe because they’re not getting much aftermarket support for drifting?
@@trevormckeehen2010 the 2016+ cars are actually a bit lighter than S550 Mustangs, Chevy shaved a lot of weight off of them switching from the Holden-based 5th gen to the Cadillac-based 6th gen. Lack of aftermarket support (for drifting) is definitely a big issue.
Hey man. Awesome video. Thank you. I like how you cover economic and practical aspects of what gose into running a car.
Ayeee haha scooped my e90 turbo with a manual 🤙🏻 hoping a lot more parts are available than my e36. Trying to sort interior bits it’s stupid.
Super informative, hopefully I’ll be on the track in 2024🎉
Interesting how you did not mention the sxe10 chassis lol let’s keep it that way
People either hate on the beams or absolutely adore it, the is300 isn’t exactly a accessible car anymore either most have crazy mileage in the us & are completely clapped out
So glad I grabbed my 100 6k but in all honesty I’m afraid to slide it because it’s unaffordable to replace now :/
i liked the '' money '' section was quite helpful, i have noticed over here especialy in the UK the old e36s even for a 328i are 6/7k+ and seem out the realm if your learning 350z u can still get from 4/6k and same for a e46 330ci 4/6k but what i did find in abundance for under 2k was the e9x series e92 320i (170bhp) in manual and alot of them, but ive not seen anyone talking about them being any good for drifting or not alot of info on them regarding drifting at all , is that just a overlooked car or a reason why they arent used?
We need to talk about TIRES, how to make them last and which brands are good or bad
Drifting was officially lost in 2019… that was the end of “grassroots” after that… every drift car had 10-20k into it.
I use to buy a 240sx for $1000-2500.. sr20 swap from importer was $1200-2000 … cheap coils from a importer and you were good. Total into a car was under 5k and you could reuse the parts/swap. Now the swap alone is that price and the car is twice that… 350z/g35 is next closest cheap drift car and they are still 5-10k and another 5-10k to make it decent on the track.
Tough for the next generation and why I think the sport will have a fall off.
Stop being a negative Nancy. Drifting will live forever
Just bought a 03 350z mt for 600 with blown head gasket. Deals are out there.
VOLVO 240/740/940! Classic, not to expensive still, and parts are available for the most part.
Angle kits for the volvo 240 are a 3 in 1 part. Roll center correction, Ackerman, and quick steer!
I was hoping Taylor was gonna get a shout out when you started talking about f80s. 😂😂
This educational as hell, all of it out of my budget tho :'(