Quite a few, actually. The full size luxury cars offered throughout the mid seventies to late eighties were horribly underpowered from factory, something I enjoyed changing. The drive train and suspension could handle just about anything you wanted to throw at them and they were well appointed, nicely built cars, making them perfect budget build projects. On the opposite end of that spectrum, the little compact "general purpose budget people movers" from the late eighties and early nineties (Tempo, Sentra, Cavalier) can be torn down in a back yard and built up as excellent (and very quick) economy rides. The styling isn't totally unappealing and the ease of maintenance are serious bonuses. Plus it's funny as hell to blow the doors off all the Paul Walker wannabes in something so unassuming as an Escort 5 door.

My first car ever was a green Mazda 323 hatchback. Not sure if it was a "bad" car so much as just old and unglamorous, but it was mine.