[bobcowan]

FFR is still the economy kit leader. Their base premise is to use their kit and a 89-04 Mustang, and you have everything you need except paint. There's still plenty of low mileage Mustangs available. Not many with the 302 Windsor, though. A 4.6L engine and a 5 speed makes a really fun car that's economical to build and drive. And upgrades after the build are everywhere.

Do the math there. A base MIV kit is $13K. A wrecked or rolled low mileage Mustang is another $4K, give or take. Add $3K for paint, and you're done for $20K'ish.

Don't forget that there's a lot of parts on the Mustang that you can sell off - interior, body panels, Body shell/chassis, A/C, P/S, etc.

The car only gets expensive when we start adding all the things we like: Big blocks, TKO, IRS, fancy paint, etc. Gotta keep up with the Jones's.