Budget project car?

I can make you a deal in your price range for this

https://sandiego.craigslist.org/nsd/cto … 89964.html

I've never driven a Rover TC2000. I bought this as a favor for a friend of a friend who was in a bind. I'm not too up for learning what it takes to make it go vroom. Kind of a shame. Just doesn't interest me. It was on track to be a $30K plus restoration.

(relocated post that had been accidentally posted in incorrect thread)

Now that we know where you are...what do YOU want as far as the end result?  Something cheap and cheerful but also pratical (hot/warm hatch)?  Something you can constantly upgrade over time on the cheap as money allows?  Something you can get cheap, learn on, sell for break even at the end?  These are only three permutations.

VR6 GTI out of a southern state, MAYBE you could find a Vibe GT at that price point
Cobalt manual with the ecotec, any Panther platform (handling mostly),
Focus ZX3, Solara/Avalon (shift solenoids and coils are about all that go bad), NB Miata before the prices go up, any Ranger or S10, any GMT400's (GM/Chevy trucks) but do go southern and try to go 2wd

Brain is not working real great right now but about anything anything can work to learn on if you do not start with a hacked up mess or a rusted to oblivion turd.  In my case after working on motorcycles all through college I got into RWD Volvo's...7/9 series redblocks are still good to learn on but the interior plastics are about irreplaceable now and you will break some.  Volkswagen Mark III/IV Jetta/Golf if not rusted are good learner cars.   The oddball Ford Falcon/Plymouth Valiant/GM G-body in that price range are all excellent bets but they are super hard to find around that price anymore.  If you want a boat Series II equiped LeSabres/Park Ave's that still have a good shifting transmission will teach you only about replacing price-cutting steering/suspension/interior electrics because if they are still running they likely have all the known failure points in the engine bay fixed (lower intake manifold gaskets, upper intake, plastic coolant elbows).

Are you tryong to build a race car or driver?

I recently went down the $1000 car wormhole for a new driver. I picked up a pretty clean, well maintained, high mileage and slightly dysfunctional Ford Explorer for $800.  A battery, fluids and minor repair got us a decent car for $1000 but still needed tires. Turned out it had a bad control arm too. So tires, control arm and an alignment ended up being $725.

By the time I finished a bunch of preventative maintenance we were about $2400 into the Exploder.