[00:01] seconds used to mean race team, trailer queen, sponsor money, a crew chief named queen, sponsor money, a crew chief named Daryl who hasn't smiled since 2003. Now it means a Facebook Marketplace find, a turbo the size of a laundry basket, a
[00:14] tuner named Cody who runs on Monster energy drinks, E85, and a complete disregard for your financial future. Because today we are covering the cheapest cars in America that you can turn into legitimate 9-second drag strip
[00:26] weapons for under 30 grand. Not stock, not it feels fast, not my buddy says it might run 10s if the stars align and the track is cold. Actual quarter-mile violence against actual supercars in a car your insurance company would laugh
[00:41] at. But before we start, one disclaimer. These are not stock 9-second cars. That does not exist under 30,000 bucks unless you bought it from a guy named Stryker on Facebook with no title. We're talking about cars that you can buy in that
[00:54] budget and build into 9-second machines. Some builds are smart, some are cheap, some are reliable. You only get to pick two. And if you said BMW, well, you get none. And a lot of these are faster than a Hellcat. So, like, subscribe so we can
[01:08] hit two mil, and let's go. Oh, baby, the N54 engine is one of the most dangerous things in the cheap speed universe. And I just owned a 335i. I loved it. I had there are some things to be considered
[01:23] because the N54 is not always fun. It's in the I spent my rent money on in the I spent my rent money on injectors again kind of way. The 335i and 135i are available for surprisingly low money. Slap on upgraded turbos, E85,
[01:38] German sedan that will delete Mustangs [music] from the timeline and make you feel like an absolute genius. You can do most of those mods for less than 1,500 bucks, brother. But that's good for about 3 weeks. Then the walnut blasting
[01:51] bill arrives. Then the water pump. Then something in the cooling system that costs 1,100 bucks and has a name that sounds like a Star Wars planet. The N54 is the toxic X of engines. It gives you the highest highs, ruins your weekends,
[02:04] and then makes 700 wheel horsepower, and you forgive it completely. A 9-second N54 in a 335i is absolutely possible, but cheap? Kind of easy? No. Reliable
[02:16] that's affordable? That's the funniest thing anyone's ever asked about a used BMW. This is the choice for the guy who wants super potential, but with more damage. And remember, I've linked to all these ideal picks via AutoTempest in the
[02:30] quick, the giveaway for the Shelby and Supra and the $100,000 has ended, and well, the winners are being picked right now. But, we're coming back bigger and better and better. So, click the link in the pinned first comment because like
[02:44] Rocky who won the GT-R, like Greg who won the 100K, you can sign up to be notified and get 100 free entries once it goes live. So, click the link down below, go put in your email, and I can't wait to show you what we have cooking.
[02:56] All right, back to the show. Now, the Fox body cannot die. It has been colors, LS swapped, turbocharged, carbureted, cut in half, welded back at the track and runs a 9.5. These cars are light, they're simple, and the
[03:12] have its own zip code. You can build one with a small block Ford, an LS, a big VR38DETT if you're from Florida and motivated enough. Not from California, though. The problem, clean Fox bodies are getting
[03:28] everything it touches. The same car that cost three grand and a handshake in 2015 is now listed at 19,000 bucks because the seller wrote future classic in the description. Sir, it has no interior, four mismatched wheels, and wiring that
[03:42] looks like a raccoon got lost in a spaghetti factory. Please price it platform, the Fox body is still one of the the ever made. Light car, rear-wheel-drive, massive engine bay, simple suspension, parts literally
[03:55] everywhere. Fox body guys don't ask if it can run nines, they ask if they're comfortable running 137 mph in a car with 1987 crash safety standards. The answer, apparently, is always yes. The C5 Corvette might be the best cheap
[04:10] sports car platform in the history of the Americas. Light, aerodynamic, LS-powered, transaxle, handles available under 30 grand, and unlike the Fox bodies, it does not feel like it was assembled during a blackout by someone
[04:22] someone who had somewhere else to be. The C5 is a straight-up cheat code. A base C5 with boost becomes genuinely supercar-embarrassingly fast, and it makes every European car look like a financial mistake. Because while someone
[04:36] Porsche that needs an engine-out service to change the spark plugs, you're in a plastic fantastic missile with the turbo LS and a smile on your face. To run nines, you need to do the usual: boost, fuel system, drag tires, suspension,
[04:49] tuning, and safety gear. But, as a foundation, outstanding. The only problem is C5 sellers. Every single one thinks their car is rare. Only one in automatic with the optional floor mat sold on a Tuesday while Bob Seger played
[05:03] on the radio. Sir, it's a base C5 with chrome wheels and a check engine light. Please, just take the offer. This is the dumbest car on the list and possibly the greatest. A 5.3 Silverado, it's not a car. It is a household appliance with a
[05:16] bed that you could sleep in. It was designed to haul mulch, tow jet skis, has very strong opinions about wood cutting equipment. But, the 5.3 LS horsepower motors ever accidentally built. Buy an old Silverado for pocket
[05:32] built. Buy an old Silverado for pocket lint, turbo at E85, and swap in a 4L80E, your work truck is committing felonies at the dragstrip in front of a crowd they're witnessing. The formula is famous because it works. Junkyard 5.3,
[05:47] big turbo E85, send it. And if the engine dies, you go back to the junkyard and adopt another iron block orphan for 400 buck. There is no emotional attachment, brother. There is only boost. Yes, it has the aerodynamic
[05:59] profile of a refrigerator falling down a flight of stairs. Yes, you will never look cool doing it. But when you gap a Ferrari in a rusty Silverado with a cracked taillight, that isn't racing. That is performance art. Now, the
[06:13] fifth-gen Camaro SS is what happens when GM asks, "What if we made a legitimately fast LS muscle car, but made it completely impossible to see out of?" You cannot see out of this car. Changing lanes is not a driving maneuver. It's a
[06:26] leap of faith. It is a spiritual exercise. You are not checking mirrors. You are trusting the universe. But under that hood is exactly what matters. LS power, massive aftermarket a build recipe that 10,000 forum dads have
[06:38] already tested and argued about since 2010. Manual cars got the LS3. Automatics got the L99. Both make monsters with the right parts. Cam, blower, turbo, nitrous, converter, drag tires, suspension tune. Pick your
[06:52] violence, baby. The formula is solved. The knowledge is free. The parts exist in every state. Used Camaro SS examples are still findable for under 30 grand. And as a 9-second platform, they are brutal. Hot take. I mean, I think the
[07:05] fifth-gen Camaro SS is a significantly better drag car than it is a daily driver. As a daily, it's large, claustrophobic, and has an interior made from recycled lunch trays. As a drag car, it's like a weapon that looks angry
[07:17] standing still. And that, honestly, it's good enough, brother. Of course, it's the Coyote Mustang. Of course, it is. And the 2011-14 Mustang GT with that 5-liter Coyote is the answer to almost every cheap speed question. And it has
[07:32] been the answer for 15 years. And it will be the answer until the sun burns out and the last remaining Cody finishes his dyno tune in the dark. The engine, revs. It breathes. it loves boost like it was born for it because it basically
[07:46] was. The aftermarket is so enormous, you can build an entire Mustang from parts 11:00 p.m. making decisions you'll regret on Tuesday. You can still find an regret on Tuesday. You can still find an S197 Coyote GT under 30,000 bucks. Some
[07:59] aggressively, some have clearly attended every car meet within a 200-mile radius and left sideways. Inspect carefully, bring a flashlight, and manage expectations. But, as a 9-second build platform, this car is almost unfairly
[08:13] good. The formula is boring on purpose. Buy Mustang GT, add supercharger or turbo, upgrade fuel system, add E85, add drag radials, upgrade drive shaft and axles, tune it, apologize to your tires weekly. That's done. Done. That's it.
[08:29] Done. 9 seconds, baby. Yes, the MT82 manual transmission is infamous for being made of glass, despair, and broken promises. Yes, the live rear axle cars take setup work and yes, owning a Mustang comes with a certain social
[08:42] reputation that you will have to manage. But, that is the tax. The Coyote Mustang is number one because it has the perfect combination of price, power, potential, parts availability, and community knowledge. Everyone has built one,
[08:55] everybody knows one. Everybody has built one, everybody knows how. Every problem argued about on seven different forums at 3:00 in the morning. When you're chasing nines, brother, boring is good, proven is good. You do not want unique.
[09:09] a custom part from a guy on Instagram called a Boost Goblin Fabrication who hasn't posted since March. Buy the Mustang, brother. Boost the Mustang. Try not to become a meme. Okay, so what did we learn? Well, you don't need a
[09:23] Lamborghini, you don't need a McLaren, you need a cheap platform, a proven the ability to explain to your significant other why the car needs just one more part for the 11th time in in row. Because drag racing is simple. You
[09:37] spend thousands of dollars to make a number on a little piece of paper get slightly smaller and then you do it again again until you've either got a 9 second flat car or you sold the car to fund therapy. Drop in the comments
[09:50] what's the cheapest 9 second build you've ever seen and what car did I forget? If you say Tesla, I am ending this channel. I'm not joking. I will we hit 2 mil by the end of the year. Check out some of these ideal vids and
[10:04] promise me one thing. Keep living the ideal lifestyle.