Another car that's neither exotic nor particularly original,

 Another car that's neither exotic nor particularly original, 

the NA Miata is a long-standing enthusiast's favorite for good reason. The pint-sized roadster might not be fast by any stretch of the imagination, but it's great fun to drive. Its light curb weight means that it's easy to throw around, and even relatively modest power increases can make it significantly faster. It's

 also one of the most versatile project cars around, and no matter what direction you take your build, there will be plenty of inspiration out there. This is, of course, one of the world's best-selling sports cars of all time (via MotorTrend).

Early Miatas are prone to rust, and as a result, it's not as easy to find a cheap, solid one as it once was. A lot of decent examples will now command prices well out of budget, but there are still some affordable cars about if you wait for the right listing. A one-owner '93 Miata sold for $9,850 on Bring a Trailer in November 2022, and it came with a set of BBS wheels thrown in.