D16a8 with t28/t3 turbo (internal gate), 2nd hand evo3 cooler, custom piping, standard injectors, standard pump, 2nd hand unknown jasma plated 2.5" exhaust with peeshooter, 14" steelies, dc2r sussy
Tune with Crome ECU chip, running 10PSI all day everyday.

I don't think my setup can get any cheaper, made from 2nd hand parts and reused gear.
Most expensive parts would be the custom pipin' and xforce manifold which isnt designed for my engine either!
I haven't had any problems, except my xforce manifold frying my a/c condenser pipes.

I run gear 4 gear with my mates dc2r w/ injen cai, bc xhaust, toda headers tuned 119 @ toda. On a rolling, i munch him though. If i had better wheels and tyres i'd most likely take him from a dig.

I paid 5k for my car, his paid already 4k on em parts and tuning.
Obviously his handles better, and has alot more potential. But most people don't end up modding more than i/e/tune - mayb set of cams and thats it before it's motor out.