Hi guys! I miss the times when I used to spend hours in the shop modifying a car. I'm interested to start a project. I've been out of the scene for a while so I would like to get inputs on selecting a GOOD BASE CAR.

A. Budget 500K
B. Reliable and can be daily driven (preferably '04 Up)
C. Easy to find bolt on parts (specifically turbo, clutch, big brakes)
D. Manual
E. No need to swap engines (good enough engine to build on)

Roughly speaking, my target for this car is to be able to run with an STI. At least keep up. :-) This probably takes anything less than 1.6L out of the options.

What do you guys think of cruze 1.8L MT (may performance parts ba for this? Does this have potential?)

Lancer -- and build towards evo?

Civic 2.0L?

Sorry for the long post. I would appreciate inputs! Especially those with experience. :-)

Thanks thanks!