Full sized project car ideas?

[MrTShoff]

Hey guys I have two fairly big dogs that for now fit inside my camaro but my wife and I need to buy another car with a budget of 5-8k. She wants to keep the camaro or replace it with a mustang so we will be doing that but I want a change in pace. I know my dogs wouldnt fit in a cb7 so thats not an option. Honestly I was looking at crown vics because theyre big, cheap, and have plenty of swap options for fun. Other cars I have been researching are old box chevys (I have no plans on 24s and all that nonsense but an ls swap would be fun), Lexus ls and gs cars, and acura legends (not too sure about this as idk how big the seats are. For reference the dogs are a 60lb pit and a pit bullmastiff mix (bandogge for those of you who are into dogs) who will end up being probably right at 100lbs. I dont need the space for both of them everyday but it could be necessary for vet trips and such. The rest of the time this will just serve as a daily/project until we buy a truck or suv next year. Any ideas or thoughts from you guys?

[sonikaccord]

95 impala ss, land yacht.

[MrTShoff]

95 impala ss, land yacht.

You would not believe how those have appreciated. I was and am considering one though I just cant find them stock for decent prices. I want something land yacht-ish with power potential and possibly some luxury.

[F22Chris]

Subarus, Passat, CRV, CB9?

[MrTShoff]

Subarus, Passat, CRV, CB9?

Staying far away from subies (just dont like them and making any power with them seems to be a hassle, seen a few built engines pop). I actually really like passats the b5 chassis specifically but there doesnt seem to much of an aftermarket for them? I know the 1.8t is a good engine but im just very ignorant in general to vws. We are buying an suv or truck (looking at yukons and 2500 diesels) around summer next year so I dont really want a wagon or small suv right now.

[bassrock234]

Lincoln LS have gone way down in price over the last few years. As much as I hate fords, I love our Lincoln. 3.9 v8 with plenty of power to start, good size back seats and leather interior (May not be good with dogs claws) not sure if they came with cloth interior. I see them as low as 3k all the time. They look pretty sporty IMO, and people do supercharge them.

[MrTShoff]

Lincoln LS have gone way down in price over the last few years. As much as I hate fords, I love our Lincoln. 3.9 v8 with plenty of power to start, good size back seats and leather interior (May not be good with dogs claws) not sure if they came with cloth interior. I see them as low as 3k all the time. They look pretty sporty IMO, and people do supercharge them.

Im ignorant to these as well but always liked them. Ill look into that now.

[deevergote]

I LOVE the Lincoln LS, though it's a bit of an oddball. V8s are all automatic, and the engine bays are extremely cramped. The engines aren't proper Ford engines. They're Jaguar engines. Swapping in a proper Ford V8 is no easy task. They're also incredibly heavy for cars that don't look all that large... weight about 3800lbs (which is what my CTS-V weighs.) Big car weight without actually feeling like a "big car" as a Crown Vic or Grand Marquis would.

If you want affordable, I think the Vic/Marquis/Towncar or Caprice/Impala (and all their badge engineered brethren) would probably be your best bet. Those are common, affordable, and pretty well documented in terms of modification. You can turn one of those beasties into a pretty quick car with a swap and/or forced-induction build. In a straight line, anyway!

I'd stay away from the Lexus GS and LS cars as projects, simply because they'll all either have a 2JZ or 1UZ... engines found only in other Lexus cars and Supras (which are pricier than all things Lexus.) Or newer Tundra pickups, for the 1UZ. Still, not cheap.
Same with the Legend. I love the 2nd gen Legend, but it's not a great platform for performance modifications, I don't feel. Longitudinal engine with that oddball FWD transmission... any transmission issues require Legend-specific repairs, which will become scarce and expensive as the years go on (and you need them more!) Swap options are limited, and the platform isn't very well supported in the aftermarket.

I see nobody suggested anything German, which is good... because if you want affordable purchase, maintenance, repair, and modification... German is NOT the way you want to go! If you wanted to drop a few extra bucks, though... an old 5/7 series, or an old E/S Class COULD be a cool project... and it's not unheard of to drop American engines and transmissions into them.
On that note, the old boxy Volvos are popular cars for V8 swaps. I've had a 92 940 myself, and it was a lovely car (aside from the clunky auto, and the lack of heat... but the paint and interior of that car aged REALLY well!) An old Volvo wagon could still have plenty of life left in it. I believe people still make Ford V8 swap kits for them. And they would provide plenty of room for the dogs. Head on up to Charlottesville, VA... I swear, 80% of the population drives old Volvos there!

Another option is the Dodge Magnum (and I suppose the Charger and 300... but the Magnum is way cooler.) Older V6 models are selling for STUPID cheap now. Like $3000 cheap on Cars.com. I just checked... and was surprised to see them selling for so little!

[foamypirate]

Chevy Caprice/Buick Roadmaster/Olds Custom Cruiser, and LS swap it.

[MrTShoff]

I LOVE the Lincoln LS, though it's a bit of an oddball. V8s are all automatic, and the engine bays are extremely cramped. The engines aren't proper Ford engines. They're Jaguar engines. Swapping in a proper Ford V8 is no easy task. They're also incredibly heavy for cars that don't look all that large... weight about 3800lbs (which is what my CTS-V weighs.) Big car weight without actually feeling like a "big car" as a Crown Vic or Grand Marquis would.

If you want affordable, I think the Vic/Marquis/Towncar or Caprice/Impala (and all their badge engineered brethren) would probably be your best bet. Those are common, affordable, and pretty well documented in terms of modification. You can turn one of those beasties into a pretty quick car with a swap and/or forced-induction build. In a straight line, anyway!

I'd stay away from the Lexus GS and LS cars as projects, simply because they'll all either have a 2JZ or 1UZ... engines found only in other Lexus cars and Supras (which are pricier than all things Lexus.) Or newer Tundra pickups, for the 1UZ. Still, not cheap.
Same with the Legend. I love the 2nd gen Legend, but it's not a great platform for performance modifications, I don't feel. Longitudinal engine with that oddball FWD transmission... any transmission issues require Legend-specific repairs, which will become scarce and expensive as the years go on (and you need them more!) Swap options are limited, and the platform isn't very well supported in the aftermarket.

I see nobody suggested anything German, which is good... because if you want affordable purchase, maintenance, repair, and modification... German is NOT the way you want to go! If you wanted to drop a few extra bucks, though... an old 5/7 series, or an old E/S Class COULD be a cool project... and it's not unheard of to drop American engines and transmissions into them.
On that note, the old boxy Volvos are popular cars for V8 swaps. I've had a 92 940 myself, and it was a lovely car (aside from the clunky auto, and the lack of heat... but the paint and interior of that car aged REALLY well!) An old Volvo wagon could still have plenty of life left in it. I believe people still make Ford V8 swap kits for them. And they would provide plenty of room for the dogs. Head on up to Charlottesville, VA... I swear, 80% of the population drives old Volvos there!

Another option is the Dodge Magnum (and I suppose the Charger and 300... but the Magnum is way cooler.) Older V6 models are selling for STUPID cheap now. Like $3000 cheap on Cars.com. I just checked... and was surprised to see them selling for so little!

Okay I will admit im a bit scared of old jags. I would love an xjr but I cant handle that stress right now haha. Honestly at this point im leaning towards a p71 crown vic with a turbo or supercharger or a box chevy with an ls. I really do like old e class benzes but I dont want to deal with fixing or restoring one honestly and im just not a fan of anything but 3 series from bmw. I like the dodge chargers but theyre very expensive to mod. Almost anything mopar is. I love all the luxuries the japanese cars come with but modding does get very expensive very quick. Started looking into 05-ish acura rls with the sh awd too. If I decide to just not have a project and just get a nice daily thats probably what ill do. Considering we already have the soon to be boosted camaro and my wife just wants an suv or truck it wouldnt hurt to get something discouraging to tinker with I guess.

[deevergote]

I'd be a bit nervous about the SH-AWD RL, personally. The quality is certainly there, but they're over a decade old now, and pretty complex to repair.

I guess the most important question is regarding your budget. How much are you looking to spend? An old Chevy or Crown Vic would be fairly inexpensive to purchase initially, with the modifications costing whatever you're willing to spend. Repairs and restoration will likely need to be done for one of those to be reliable, though. Newer cars will cost more, but potentially offer more performance right out of the box. They may be more reliable, being newer. However, newer cars are going to be more complex to repair, and probably cost more to modify (you'd think my CTS-V would be cheap to modify, and I figure it is compared to, say, an M5... but it's still pretty pricey, and not terribly easy to work on!)

[Fleetw00d]

We have a 2005 Town Car, completely stock, gets 25+ mpg on the highway (at the speed limit). I just picked up a clean, one owner, 2003 Town Car (going to replace my mother-in-law's 1998) with 102,000 miles for 3K, garaged for most of its life, all it really needed was a master cylinder.

[deevergote]

I think it would be fun to get a Towncar or D-body Fleetwood (the RWD one) and make it fast. No other mods... stock appearance, stock suspension... but maybe an engine swap and forced induction.

[MrTShoff]

I'd be a bit nervous about the SH-AWD RL, personally. The quality is certainly there, but they're over a decade old now, and pretty complex to repair.

I guess the most important question is regarding your budget. How much are you looking to spend? An old Chevy or Crown Vic would be fairly inexpensive to purchase initially, with the modifications costing whatever you're willing to spend. Repairs and restoration will likely need to be done for one of those to be reliable, though. Newer cars will cost more, but potentially offer more performance right out of the box. They may be more reliable, being newer. However, newer cars are going to be more complex to repair, and probably cost more to modify (you'd think my CTS-V would be cheap to modify, and I figure it is compared to, say, an M5... but it's still pretty pricey, and not terribly easy to work on!)

8k at the most is the budget. Ive looked into the sh awd rl in my research last night and while it is expensive to repair not much goes wrong with them. At least not yet anyway. It just needs to be a fairly nice big-ish car and having mod potential is just a bonus i guess. Im at a point in life where I dont have time to keep up with all my hobbies so one project is enough for now but I cant get over fast land yachts

[deevergote]

It's the "not yet" that scares me. "Yet" is approaching quickly, I'm sure!

My CTS-V is beginning to experience some issues with the traction and stability control systems, as well as the ABS. Granted, Honda/Acura quality greatly surpasses that of Cadillac... but still... there's just so much going on in the RL that I could imagine a major repair costing many thousands of dollars!

I'm into the fast land yacht thing myself. Massive power without compromising luxury is extremely appealing to me! My CTS-V let me down a bit in that aspect... it's a legit hotrod... big engine, upgraded suspension... throw some better brakes and tires on there, and it's ready to hit the track as-is! The ride is more Corvette than Cadillac. The only harsher ride I've experienced is my fiancee's 03 Cooper S (that thing makes a boxcar seem luxurious! but man is it fun to drive...)

I've been wondering how much boost the engine and transmission of a RWD 90s Ford or GM boat could take... and for how long. The 96 Fleetwood has the same engine as the Impala SS, the 260hp LT1. They're $3000-$4000 cars in decent shape, with respectable power in stock form. Dig up a supercharger for it, or slap on a couple turbos... and I bet it could be quite fun!
Granted, they weigh more than a Chevy Trailblazer... but still... anything is fun with enough power.