1994 Honda Civic - Budget Boost

With the dash-mounted open/close switch in the "open" position, David's Civic sounds like a loaded Mack truck muscling uphill. The T3 turbo is every bit as vocal as a Rolls-Royce jet engine, and the open exhaust reverberates off anything within a 100-foot radius, causing car alarm ruckus and commuter windows to be hastily rolled up.

Astonishingly, the car ripped off a 244 wheel-hp dyno pull at 6820 rpm with the exhaust bypass open, and 220 whp at 6380 rpm with the full exhaust system in use. Not bad for the money spent.

Inside, the undercover operation continues, with all gauges conveniently hidden out of sight from the outside of the car, but easily readable from the driver's seat.

Instead of spending money on fiberglass and candy-apple red, David dropped his dollars at a junkyard for a greasy hodgepodge of heavy metal. And his reward is a genuinely streetable Civic that hauls ass and keeps visits to the gas pump to a minimum.

Size your turbo based on the size of your budget.