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(#5) 1978-1994 Ford Fox Bodies
Fox-body Mustangs once were and still to some extent are the default choice for cheap American drift machines. Their weight and proportions aren't unlike Nissan's Silvia - "the Mustang of Japan." The big news with the Fox is of course its 5.0 engine, relatively light weight and fairly short wheelbase - all of which make it one of the best cars for drifting.
The Fox-body's greatest strength is that it has been around very long, is a very well-known quantity, and parts are fairly cheap. But good luck finding a cheap 5.0 that hasn't been completely thrashed. You'll probably get stuck upgrading a 2.3-liter or V-6 to a V-8, which will definitely add some cost to the equation. -
(#1) Old Mini-Trucks
Almost without dispute, the best cars for drifting on these shores aren't cars - they're compact pickup trucks. Pickups in general are practically perfect drift machines: rear-drive and extremely light in the rear, even a garden-variety pickup will powerslide when provoked.
The only problem is that most are very big and heavy. But mini-trucks like old Chevy S-10s, Ford Rangers or even the Ranger's predecessor, the Courier; with as little as 300 horsepower or so, these things will get sideways and stay that way for quite some time. For cheap. -
(#8) Old Aston Martins
Wait. What? Isn't this supposed to be a list of cheap drift cars? What's an Aston Martin doing here? Fear not, we haven't lost our marbles. Believe it or not, old Astons from the '90s and early 2000s are pretty cheap these days. mostly because they were complete crap, and suffer from the same nightmare maintenance costs as any European car. However, if you can find a non-running example (which shouldn't be hard), you can pick up an awesome old Aston Martin pretty cheap. And if you're building an all-out drift car, just rip the drivetrain out, and drop in a small-block Chevy or Ford. There you go, job done. Enjoy your drifting, Mr. Bond.
(PS: Anybody else notice how much a 1997 Aston V8 Vantage looks like a new Mustang? Is it just me? Maybe that has something to do with the fact that the original 1977 V8 Vantage was a note-for-note rip-off of the original Mustang fastback. And that Ford bought Aston Martin in 1994, afterward assigning the same design team to work on its "all-new" 2005 Mustang. So basically, the new Mustang is a rip-off of a rip-off based on itself. There's a weird case of corporate inbreeding for you.) -
(#4) GM G-Body Cars
You'll probably recognize this platform best as the one underpinning millions of Monte Carlos, El Caminos, Buick Regals and Buick Grand Nationals produced from 1978 to 1988. Olds and Pontiac had G-Bodies, too. But nobody cares about them. The funny thing about G-Body cars is that if you ask most kids who grew up in the '90s and 2000s, they seem like big cars. But they're not, really.
A G-Body Regal coupe has about the same wheelbase as an E36 BMW 3-Series, it's narrower than a 3-Series, and at 3,250 pounds weigh barely as much as a new Honda Civic. Only the comparatively long front and rear overhangs make it look big. But in between lays a chassis that's just as capable of drifting and road racing as anything GM produced in the 21th century.
Upgrade parts are cheap and plenty, the engine bay will take anything from a 500 c.i. Cadillac to a Turbo-Six Buick, and you can find G-bodies for next to nothing all over the place. Especially if you get one of those Olds or Pontiac cars. -
(#7) E36 and E46 BMWs
The 1990 to 1999 E36 and 1998 to 2005 E46 chassis BMW 3-Series epitomize everything that has ever been great about BMW. These are the cars that really made the brand's name in America, and for very good reason. They're almost perfect. And believe it or not, pretty cheap to buy these days, if you're willing to get something other than an M3. That's the good news.
Bad news: They're cheap because BMWs, like all German cars, quickly become expensive nightmares when things start breaking and drivetrains start failing. Which they will. Constantly. But the silver lining here is that these days, you can buy a complete swap kit to put a full Ford Mustang drivetrain into an E36 or E46. It's not super cheap, but you'll end up with what might be the most perfect car ever: American power and reliability, European manners and handling. Truly an iron fist in a velvet glove -for the discerning hooligan. -
(#10) 1989 to 2000 Infiniti Q45
As the makers of the Silvia, you'd imagine Nissan knows a thing or two about rear-drive performance. The Infiniti Q45 produced by Nissan might not be the first car you'd think of to take drifting, but that's exactly what makes it perfect. The car actually got its name from the "Q-Ship," a term for a sleeper high-performance automobile; which itself refers to the Q-Ships used in WWII, fully armed battleships disguised as harmless transport vessels. A perfect description of the Q45, if ever there was one.
With all the aftermarket support in the universe, it's entirely possible to turn a Q45 into a fully armed, tire-smoking drift car that looks like little more than a transport for executive passengers. "Q-Ship," indeed.
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How to define a good drift car? Dear? new? No, a good drift car does not have to be expensive, nor does it have to be brand new. The most important thing is the one that suits you. There are a few types of cars suitable for drifting, and most of them are not cheap. But for drivers who really love drifting, there is always a solution. A second-hand car may be a good choice. There is some information about the acclaimed drift car brands, most of which you can find in the used car market.
This random tool generates 14 best drift car brands. If you need a drift car, you can check specific information and pictures. It is recommended that you can buy a used car for modification.
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