This $4,000 Honda Accord Build Shows You Don't Need To Blow A Ton Of Money To Have A Cool Car

Everything has gotten significantly more expensive in the last decade, and some enthusiasts are complaining that they're being priced out of the hobby. While it may be true that big-power corporate-sponsored YouTube builds and trust fund kids on Instagram are harshing the vibe and gatekeeping normies, it's also true that you can still have a cool car without spending the annual budget of Djibouti on your ride. Most Americans can't afford a new 911 GT3 anyway. But if you lower your standards, then lower your car, you'll have much more fun. 

Josh Gresswell, over in the UK, wanted to prove that something cool could be built for very little scratch, so he bought an ancient 1980 Honda Accord hatchback on Facebook Marketplace for just 1,495 pounds sterling (his budget for the build is a total of £3,000 GBP, which is about $4,000 USD). Sure, the car had been sitting in a garage for over a decade, it's got some filler, and it's a bit mucky around the edges, but it's a great platform to start with because it's not a traditional collector car. 

If you only have a few thousand dollars to spend on a cool car, you'll need to put in some effort, both on the search and the build. "Wheels are the most important thing that will take you over budget every single time," says Gresswell in the video, "but if you've got bad looking wheels the car will look rubbish." He's entirely right. A good set of wheels and the right stance will set even a mediocre car up for cool-car success, as will the dedication to joining some model-specific internet groups, scouring the classifieds, and building some custom components. 

If you ask me, too much time and money is spent "perfecting" a car, and perfect is the enemy of finished. Get your project car running, even if the paint is looking rough. A vintage car that has lived a good life will have some patina to it anyway, and only serves to improve the look. We all love a showroom new car with the new car smell, right? But there's something anachronistic and uncanny about a 1980 Honda Accord that looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor.

I remember when I was a teenager, and I put time and effort into whatever cheap car I had because it was all I could afford — that's the vibe here, with an old scrapper that gets transformed with real-world work, in a few short days, and on a limited budget. We need to promote accepting enthusiasts from lower tax brackets or budgets and stop gatekeeping everything. If you can't afford a cool car, put in the effort and make a cheap junker cool instead. 

Josh Gresswell/YouTube

The mods on this one were relatively simple. These fellas gave their car a minor tune-up to get it running right and keep it that way. Then, they installed a set of the cheapest coilovers on sale after a bit of cutting and welding, and slammed on a set of completely radical vintage wheels and tires. They didn't need to put a turbo kit on this, or swap in a 12,000 RPM K24 engine. Low and slow is cool, taking the road less travelled is cool, driving your beat up old car is cool. You're closer to a cool car than you think. This is the summer you make it happen.