TLDR: What would be a good project car to build with my kiddo that’s not going to absolutely break my bank, but also still be worth giving to him as his first car?
*picture so I could post question *
I’ve been thinking about building/restoring a project car with my son. From the ground up, disassembly, paint, reassembly, etc. I’m a mechanic myself so I’ve got all the tools and know how to do this and he’s fallen in love with jdm cars just like I did. I’ve been racking my brain trying to figure out what car would be best for something like this. Would I be shooting too low to consider some thing like a civic hatchback or integra? Personally, they have a soft spot in my heart and I love them as long as they’re done tasteful and not screaming by at 3 a.m. . Any thoughts or ideas would be greatly appreciated. I’d like to surprise him with this and share this experience with him since I never got anything like this with my father.
![Mazda RX-3 [4000x3000]](https://www.evshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/1ey5mj3djkdg1-770x515.jpeg "Mazda RX-3 [4000×3000]")
![[Lotus Espirit V8]](https://www.evshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/6mpy6ify6kdg1-770x515.jpeg "[Lotus Espirit V8]")
![One of the first [992.2 Porsche 911 GT3] to arrive in São Paulo, Brasil](https://www.evshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/v7kyyv9o5kdg1-770x515.jpg "One of the first [992.2 Porsche 911 GT3] to arrive in São Paulo, Brasil")