Why Your Daily Driven Project Car is a Bad Idea

 So it is 8AM on a Monday, you walk out to start your car and go to work.  As the key turns in the ignition, your daily driven 1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX stumbles to a start then quickly dies - It is time to call a cab.  But how did it come to this?
 

Your 1999 Eclipse GSX Project Car

 Daily driving a project car is a common pitfall of young car guys.  There is an old adage that there are three things that a car can be, of which you can only pick two:
1. Fast
2. Reliable
3. Cheap
 
So you have modified your daily driver to have 450 all-wheel-horsepower (AWHP), and you can run 11s in the 1/4 mile.  That's great - but now you can't drive to work because your $20,000 investment doesn't start every time you turn the key.  This is a problem, and car guys have either been there, or have a friend who has been.

So what is the solution, what is the great wisdom that only experience and age can teach you?  When it comes to cars: Spend your top dollar on a slow reliable daily driver, and spend your bottom dollar on a project car.  As a reader, you may be asking yourself,  "what does this mean in practice?"  It is simple, really, buy a late model Honda Civic for $10,000-$15,000 as your daily driver and DO NOT MODIFY IT.  Next, pick up a non-running 1992 Nissan 300ZX TT for $500 and park it in the garage.

Your Slow and Reliable Daily Driver

There are two benefits to this strategy, the stock and slow Honda Civic (or whichever boring entry-level car you prefer) will start every time you turn the key.  This daily driver will be numbers two and three from the list above, slow and cheap.  Meanwhile, the twin-turbo Nissan in your garage will meet numbers one and three, fast and cheap - but not reliable.

In summary, if you can't afford to buy a second project car: stop modifying your daily driver.

-Axle