Absolutely none, nothing can beat a brand new engine vs a completely clapped out, hacked up, mismatched engine with unknown history being jammed into an even older vehicle

Everything is just so so tired , worn , it's not worth the money , time and effort.

If it was a collector car no issue, worth to spend some money , but it's just a run of the mill car, keep it running but not worth spending anymore money on it

And get a new car

Cheated as in buying secondhand car and tuning/modding/restoring?
Maybe just personal perspective but here is my very very rough plan:
Car (4k) + Important repairs (8k) + Aesthetics (in and outside, around 3-4k) [also sponsored by lou dao]

As opposed to the Preve I wanted, the moment I buy the car, 10k off market value.

Long run... If can take care I believe secondhand car much more eco, value already kosong 

ehhh just read.....

u got the car for 4k?? whats the condition like?
Car (4k)
-i hope its in decent condition
Important repairs (8k)
-i assume the engine swap falls within this scope..
-remember you might want to replace wear and tear bits on a halfcut engine... hoses, belts, turbos, sparkies, gaskets (if not gone)
-dont know if you need a new exhaust system.... of if its got holes in it
-bushings/mounts (this can cost a few k alone)
-absorbers if gone
-pads
Aesthetics (in and outside, around 3-4k)
-now heres where its difficult...
-2k would get you an ok paint job...
-interior, this is where things can get scarry.... dash alright cracks? any missing trim? the trim alone can cost a big bomb... rewrappig the seats a few hundred.... dash bits cost quite alot, steering hu all that.

really depends on how far you want to take it......

Lol, such close mindedness

Oh well , you try to help but there's not enough intelligence , no one can help

Life is unfair

hmmm.... just a thought... why not a 3rd gen prelude with a h22 swap? i really like those things... sleek, sporty and some even have 4ws...

*edit* just realized you have already bought thecar 

Lu ari ari Prelude & yes, I totally agreed that Prelude is the King of JDM during its era

Btw, is replacement parts easily available for thie 3rf Gen Prelude ?

If it was a collector car no issue, worth to spend some money , but it's just a run of the mill car, keep it running but not worth spending anymore money on it

And get a new car

Relax bro... I already mention time and time again, yes I will spend a lot.
Look, some people like new cars (like you), and some people like old cars (like me), that sounds pretty open minded in the simplest form possible; understanding preference.

Bottom line, I'm asking A you're giving B. Just scroll back few pages and read again 

Suka hati u, honestly. Sorry I triggered you earlier but you're really not answering the question!
If you want my view on why I chose to restore.... (in case you think I'm some nincompoop that didn't research beforehand)
-total price after repairs maybe few upgrades, less than 20k (including repaint)
-mazda parts are not easy to find, not hard either
-most of the parts are interchangable with Ford's
-first car, only have 4k saved up
-not sure why, bank won't give loan for 9k corolla, nor will they layan an 8 y/o manual saga going for 15k (I tried many times believe me)
-they are still on the road
-FF layout, easy to handle
-globally recognized
-a lot of space in the engine bay for upgrades

I would bash myself if I got a BT KE-70 and be Takumi, 323 was not a good choice nor was it bad. It just takes some time.
Hey, I'm learning a lot about a car that I drive 24/7! That's a huge plus IMO.

i really like the car man.... of that era... one of my fav haha (strangely i dont really like those sharp edged cars, but the prelude is nice)

parts... well... some trim bits difficult.... new bits also susah but halfcut bits are ok... many fellas stockpiled those used wear and tear bits.

meaning still can get if wanna find ?

http://www.mudah.my/1989+Honda+Prelude+2+0+A+-51752821.htm

you have your points no doubt... some people do a job for the sake of just getting it done or just want to be cheap and put in as little money as possible.... these are things one should never do, asking for trouble.
however a properly researched and built car will come out really nice.

sometimes theres just a sense of joy and satisfaction when building a car for yourself, im sure ts understands that for every 1k he puts into it, he will probably get about 100 out of it. (i hope you understand this ts... its something that might come as a huge blow to you otherwise.)

and yes one thing i agree with you here is that this particular car might not have been a great base to start off with (due to several factors, part rarity and value primarily) but one thing said, if he puts effort into it, it will be unique.
323... not so common nowadays, you will probably stand out....
if you are planning to keep long term, its an alright car..... nothing wrong with it

*edit... careful about the little tiny bits... you might think... senang cari...
its sometimes more susahhhhhh than one might expect....

you have your points no doubt... some people do a job for the sake of just getting it done or just want to be cheap and put in as little money as possible.... these are things one should never do, asking for trouble.
however a properly researched and built car will come out really nice.

sometimes theres just a sense of joy and satisfaction when building a car for yourself, im sure ts understands that for every 1k he puts into it, he will probably get about 100 out of it. (i hope you understand this ts... its something that might come as a huge blow to you otherwise.)

and yes one thing i agree with you here is that this particular car might not have been a great base to start off with (due to several factors, part rarity and value primarily) but one thing said, if he puts effort into it, it will be unique.
323... not so common nowadays, you will probably stand out....
if you are planning to keep long term, its an alright car..... nothing wrong with it

*edit... careful about the little tiny bits... you might think... senang cari...
its sometimes more susahhhhhh than one might expect....

.

Many don't take into account the motivation factor , a lot is hangat hangat tahi Ayam.  Seen it many times , pocket got cash , hyped up adrenaline going then once the project start , much much bigger hurdles you will start to lose motivation .

It ALWAYS happens like new year resolutions

One major failure, one part cannot be located, then the car starts to sit , days become weeks become months , you get busy with other things, tyres start to flat and next thing you know totally lost interest in it.

Now you have all the money dumped into it, the car is even more worthless than it was, you have to pay to get rid of it, now what ?

Ah, interesting point. I left out the fact that this is literally a I have.
To clear things up no this isn't some new years resolution, it was my plan since Oct 2015. Rejected over and over by banks, keep getting financial drawbacks, and going to work by Uber/Grabcar really eats away your budget. After one year I've finally saved enough and haggled my way to a sporty first car. I know about the heavy repairs that would come underway, but it's something I've achieved at 21 and I feel proud of it. Regardless, it is still the only thing I have not some trophy I keep for fun. I drive it to work, to go yumcha, to go friend place, to go play sports, etc etc. And really, less than 20k for a Japanese car with pop-ups? Bloody steal if you ask me.
About the adrenaline part, refer to above (it is my only way to get around).

To your last point... A car is after all made of smaller parts. It's like the Ship of Theseus, after replacing everything 1-to-1, is it still the same car? Thing is, if really take care, I can go far with this car I'm sure of it. To you it may not be promising as you've not inspected it in the flesh, but you are entitled to your own opinions and I understand your concern. Might even get sappy that you actually care about my personal finance that much, so thanks 

Well put it the other way , if you started with 20k in the pocket and looking for a car , would you still pick a junker and try to patch it up or get a less tired car or even a new car altogether .

If you said it was an mx5, or even Honda type R , mini cooper, volks bug, ok lah not bad

And you had gone through so much as you said, think about how regretful you will feel if the project really fails. You will be like , I should have just gotten something better altogether and not wasted all these time .

Sometimes worth to take a step back and look at it again considering all options. Don't get tunnel vision

Wow you really didn't understand a single thing I said? Please help me look for a Type R for 20 thousand ringgit, let alone the mini :thumbsup:

Why would I be regretful if the restoration is almost complete? Again, please please please, read this thread's topic.
Look advice is ok, unsolicited financial advice? Who you think will listen? Especially when I wasn't even talking about it.

You like new cars, cool. You do you, really. But look, let's tone it down yeah let's say a Preve, roughly 80k la yeah. If cash then great, cool you saved up 80k in cash and owe the bank nothing; if not, you'll need a bank loan for 7-9 years. Assume after 7 years you want to sell the car (after you settle the loan), how much you think can sell? Secondhand Preve now, never exceed 50k, how much you lose? Don't forget ya, 80k is RRP, the interest that goes to the bank will add on lets say another 5 thousand (just an example). Best case scenario you find one guy want to buy for 50k. 85-50 = __ thousand, that's how much you made a clean loss off of.
As for a restored Astina let's say I spent 20k into it, literal worst case scenario for me if it was 20 thousand: Even if the car total loss, I'd lose less assets that you did over the years, and all the money I used was purely for the car itself, no compound interest no down payment. Let's assume the car runs another 7 years just to be on par with the Preve, I still wouldn't make that big of a loss in the end! Even if the car is considered total loss! Plus, in the event that it does crash and burn, I simply have to fork out another few thousand for another secondhand car, by the time I'm sure I'll have a steady income as I already do at the moment. With the knowledge that I've gained from restoring my Astina, I know how to spot and haggle for my next secondhand car.

Your misconception that new cars are just ultimately better than old cars makes you kind of a hypocrite in reference to what you said before, no?
"close minded" and "no intelligence", and you would suggest a volks or an mx-5 when I've clearly asked the questions in my first post?
I have a fine example of ignorance and the inability to comprehend simple conveyance of a shared concern for you:
If you don't know any engines that can swap into a 323, if you don't know jack about restoring/tuning cars, if you have never swapped let alone tuned a car before, if you have no relative input for the topic at hand... Then you have nothing to offer here.

Also, why are you so salty? I'm not using your money dude