[Tomm]

Depends what you want out of the car. A lot of people daily their 86s but if this is just going to be your weekend cruiser and you want it to be faster, go for it. You need to have a power range in mind. That will dictate how much you need to budget. So the question is, how much power?

Based on what I've found your stock fuel system is sufficient up to around 300hp, same with your bottom end. No matter what, you'll probably need a new clutch and eventually, axles. When you start venturing above that, you're pretty much at the will of the FA20 gods on a stock bottom end. Then when you blow your FA20, you'll buy an LS motor to swap thinking it will be cheaper but it isn't. Remember that. Either way, the 86 is a great platform for anything you want to throw at it. It comes down to how reliable do you need this car to be? Also budget for spending at least 20-30% over what you think it will cost.

I had an old master mechanic tell me he always looked for the really high mileage motors (400k +) to drop in their old f bodies because they were proven to be reliable. I wasn't sold but I couldn't refute it either.

Also everyone above is spittin troof.