Every chassis we plan for
25 rear-wheel-drive platforms, each with its own weak points, buying checklist, wheel offset window and per-slot notes. Sorted so the ones that make the best first build come first, not the ones that look best on Instagram.
| Chassis | Years | Used price | Weight (lb) | First build | Parts | Steering |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S13 Nissan 180SX / 240SX / Silvia (S13) |
1989-1994 | $4,000–$18,000 | 2,600 | 2/5 | 5/5 | RHD, LHD |
| S14 Nissan 240SX / Silvia (S14) |
1995-1998 | $5,000–$22,000 | 2,750 | 2/5 | 5/5 | RHD, LHD |
| S15 Nissan Silvia (S15) |
1999-2002 | $15,000–$45,000 | 2,700 | 2/5 | 4/5 | RHD |
| AE86 Toyota Corolla Levin / Sprinter Trueno (AE86) |
1983-1987 | $12,000–$45,000 | 2,200 | 4/5 | 2/5 | RHD, LHD |
| JZX90 Toyota Mark II / Chaser / Cresta (JZX90) |
1992-1996 | $9,000–$25,000 | 3,200 | 3/5 | 3/5 | RHD |
| JZX100 Toyota Chaser / Mark II / Cresta (JZX100) |
1996-2001 | $11,000–$30,000 | 3,300 | 3/5 | 3/5 | RHD |
| R32 Nissan Skyline GTS-t (R32) |
1989-1994 | $12,000–$30,000 | 2,900 | 3/5 | 3/5 | RHD |
| R33 Nissan Skyline GTS-t (R33) |
1993-1998 | $11,000–$28,000 | 3,100 | 3/5 | 3/5 | RHD |
| 350Z Nissan 350Z (Z33) |
2003-2009 | $7,000–$20,000 | 3,200 | 2/5 | 4/5 | LHD, RHD |
| E36 BMW 3 Series (E36) |
1992-1999 | $2,500–$12,000 | 2,900 | 2/5 | 5/5 | LHD, RHD |
| E46 BMW 3 Series (E46) |
1999-2006 | $4,000–$16,000 | 3,100 | 2/5 | 5/5 | LHD, RHD |
| 370Z Nissan 370Z (Z34) |
2009-2020 | $12,000–$28,000 | 3,250 | 2/5 | 4/5 | LHD, RHD |
| MX-5 NA Mazda MX-5 / Miata (NA) |
1990-1997 | $3,000–$14,000 | 2,100 | 3/5 | 5/5 | LHD, RHD |
| GT86 Toyota GT86 / Subaru BRZ / Scion FR-S |
2012-2021 | $12,000–$26,000 | 2,750 | 1/5 | 5/5 | LHD, RHD |
| IS300 Lexus IS300 / Toyota Altezza |
2001-2005 | $6,000–$18,000 | 3,250 | 2/5 | 4/5 | LHD, RHD |
| S2000 Honda S2000 |
2000-2009 | $18,000–$40,000 | 2,750 | 4/5 | 3/5 | LHD, RHD |
| RX-7 FC Mazda RX-7 (FC) |
1986-1992 | $8,000–$28,000 | 2,600 | 4/5 | 2/5 | LHD, RHD |
| 300ZX Nissan 300ZX (Z32) |
1989-2000 | $6,000–$22,000 | 3,400 | 4/5 | 3/5 | LHD, RHD |
| R34 Nissan Skyline GT-T (R34) |
1998-2002 | $20,000–$50,000 | 3,100 | 3/5 | 3/5 | RHD |
| JZX110 Toyota Mark II / Verossa (JZX110) |
2000-2004 | $12,000–$28,000 | 3,350 | 3/5 | 2/5 | RHD |
| MX-5 NB Mazda MX-5 / Miata (NB) |
1998-2005 | $3,500–$13,000 | 2,300 | 3/5 | 5/5 | LHD, RHD |
| GS300 Lexus GS300 / Toyota Aristo |
1993-2005 | $4,000–$14,000 | 3,500 | 4/5 | 3/5 | LHD, RHD |
| E30 BMW 3 Series (E30) |
1982-1994 | $6,000–$25,000 | 2,500 | 3/5 | 4/5 | LHD, RHD |
| G35 Infiniti G35 |
2003-2007 | $4,000–$12,000 | 3,400 | 3/5 | 4/5 | LHD, RHD |
| Mustang S197 Ford Mustang (S197) |
2005-2014 | $6,000–$20,000 | 3,400 | 3/5 | 5/5 | LHD |
If you have not bought a car yet
The three things that actually matter for a first build, in order: how cheap the car is to replace when you damage it, whether the parts are on a shelf near you or on a boat from Japan, and whether it has enough torque to hold an angle without being worked. On those three, the honest answers are the E36, the S13 or S14, and the 350Z - not the cars with the best reputations.
A car you can buy locally with no import process is worth a lot more than it looks on paper. So is a chassis where somebody has already published a setup sheet. S13, S14, E36, E46, MX-5 NA, GT86 all score 5 out of 5 on parts availability, which in practice means you will not lose a weekend waiting on a part.
Fully researched and indexed
- S13Nissan · 1989-1994
- S14Nissan · 1995-1998
- S15Nissan · 1999-2002
- AE86Toyota · 1983-1987
- JZX90Toyota · 1992-1996
- JZX100Toyota · 1996-2001
- R32Nissan · 1989-1994
- R33Nissan · 1993-1998
- 350ZNissan · 2003-2009
- E36BMW · 1992-1999
- E46BMW · 1999-2006
- 370ZNissan · 2009-2020
- MX-5 NAMazda · 1990-1997
- GT86Toyota / Subaru · 2012-2021
- IS300Lexus / Toyota · 2001-2005
In the planner, still being researched
These work in the planner and have real weak points and checklists, but they do not yet carry the depth of sourced content the pages above do, so we keep them out of search rather than publish something thin.