actually being able to drive a car that is sorted out and doesn't fall apart all the time? sounds good to me!

I'd look for an S14 with the ususal sus/wheels/aero mods. Assuming you're not stuck in a smog state like Cali, a stock SR swap with fmic and exhaust should be plenty and reliable as well. You should be able to find some nice examples in the 10-12k range. Blow the rest on a spare set of baller wheels. For someone that wants something fast but doesn't know dick about cars, I'd stick to a simple engine setup. None of this built crap.