The Cost of EVERY Car in Fast and Furious

With F9 on the horizon in 2021, it’s only right that we talk about the most iconic car movies of all time. We know them, we love them, The Fast and the Furious franchise has been around for two decades at this point.

Thirteen movies and millions of dollars in custom cars later, it really doesn’t seem like they’re letting up anytime soon. Shoot, I’ll probably be watching Fast 50 with my great grandchildren. Grab some popcorn, one of those massive movie theatre sodas, and let’s talk about the real reason we watch these movies, the cars!

We’re going to take a look at the cost of every car from the 2009 Fast & Furious movie, and what it would cost you to own the same cars seen on the silver screen. Let’s go!

1987 Buick Grand National

Let’s start off with the first car driven by our hero Dom, the 1987 Buick Grand National. The Buick was driven in the first scene of the movie where Dom and his squad are highjacking two tanker trucks of fuel, all to be given out to the people of Dominican Republic. He’s kind of like a car guy’s Robin Hood.

The Grand National was a two-door that used a 4.1-liter turbo V6 making a humble 125 horsepower. But, since this is a Fast & Furious movie, of course, they didn’t just use the stock model. The car in the film used a 3.8-liter turbo V6 churning out a more impressive 200 horsepower.

For the film, various models were built over 8 chassis, some of which were just built-up Buick Regals. The most interesting of the bunch had the body mounted in reverse on the chassis. This was so Dom could drive in reverse at speed for the highjacking scene. So, when you were driving forward, you were actually driving backwards. My head is spinning just thinking about it.

All 8 cars also had CNC slide brakes and Wilwood calipers in the back for all those badass stunt scenes. These special mods allowed the car to better maneuver itself, and made that oh-so demanding first scene possible.

Want to look like Darth Vader driving down your local suburb? Thanks to its cult status and the fact that it shares a lot of its design with the GNX, you can expect to see good examples of the Grand National in the $30,000 range. That’s a pretty penny, but imagine rolling into your next classic car meet and standing out in the field of Mustangs and Camaros. Plus, you may be able to get away with highjacking a tanker or two. Don’t actually do that, I don’t want to have to call my lawyer.

That was one of Dom’s most badass cars in the series, but let’s look at the car that made Dom an icon in cinema history, a ride we all know and love, his Dodge Charger.

1970 Dodge Charger

Dom’s Charger has been in the series since the beginning. The big, black brick is a symbol for the movies, along with Brian’s GT-R. In Fast & Furious, the Charger is in the hands of Letty, who’s trying to restore the car for Dom. As the movie goes on and Letty is left worse for wear, Dom takes over restoring the beast instead.

The Charger is eventually fully rebuilt in all its glory and used for the final chase scene, until it’s destroyed in a completely outlandish stunt. Par for the course with these movies. The 1970 Dodge Charger is probably the most well-known out of the model’s history, with the wraparound chrome bumper and hidden headlights giving it that classic American muscle flair.

According to the movie, Dom’s charger makes a subtle 900 horsepower. Nothing too excessive. All of this power came thanks to a big block 440 Magnum engine. This was Dom’s father’s car, and it’s survived several crashes and lives on to this day. The original Charger Dom drove is currently on display at the Volo Auto Museum.

So, if you really want to be like Dom, how much is it going to cost you? Well, if you want a good example, one without that 900-horsepower big block, prices will generally run around $50,000 and higher. Yeah, classic car appreciation can really suck sometimes. Hey, at least you’ll be able to brag about having one of the most iconic American muscle cars of all time.

Okay, so that last car had a serious gut-punch for a price, but this next one is much more affordable. This is one of Brian’s cars from the final scenes of the movie.

2009 Subaru WRX STI

We all know this wouldn’t be a Fast & Furious list without some Japanese cars, and the first JDM rocket on this list won’t disappoint. For the final act of the movie, Brian O’Conner drives a 2009 Subaru, and not your grandma’s Subie, this is the fully fledged STI.

The groovy Subie was given to Brian by Dom after their last two cars were destroyed. I can’t imagine what these guys pay for insurance. Standard performance figures are pretty decent at 305 horsepower and a 0-to-60 time of 4.7 seconds.

Of course, the STI in the movie has some mods to improve performance, a must-have for the gang’s outrageous heists and shenanigans. The 2009 STI has Remus headers, Cobb exhaust pipes, and a Remus muffler. Visually, it has 18-inch Enkei rims and a Veilside body kit. And, of course, the current status for the Subie is totalled, because it became one of the many victims sacrificed in the final chase scene of the movie.

Luckily, there are plenty of not-so-totalled examples for sale around the country. Typical prices for a used 2008 or 2009 STI sit at about $20,000. Whether or not one of these cars will already be modded, that’s up to fate to decide. Either way, you’re getting an all-wheel drive, practical hatchback with near supercar-killing power for pretty cheap. Plus, you can say that you drive the same car Brian O’Conner uses in two of the Fast & Furious movies!

Let’s move from one JDM legend to the next. This car is synonymous with the entire Fast & Furious franchise, the Nissan GT-R.

2002 Nissan Skyline GT-R R34

Brian O’Conner used multiple cars sourced from the FBI throughout the movies, most of which have been Japanese cars tuned-out to blend into the street racing scene. This one, though, is a bit of an exception. The R34 GT-R is painted in Bayside Blue with very little done to it. You just can’t fix perfection can you?

There were some parts from a red 2007 GT-R transplanted into the R34, but visually, it was pure R34 Godzilla. You know what comes next… the car was eventually destroyed in a chase scene. Damn shame.

What makes the R34, or actually the six R34’s that were used for the film, unique is the way they were built. Each of the GT-R’s were built over the frames of 1998 to 2002 GT-T’s. The GT-T was a four-door variant of the Skyline that was rear-wheel drive, and typically used naturally-aspirated inline-sixes.

This setup allowed stunt drivers to perform long standing burnouts, and some of the GT-R’s were even built over dune buggy chassis. That’s right, Godzilla on the outside and dune buggy underneath! These were used for close-ups and off-road scenes.

How much would it cost to buy your own R34 GT-R? Well, as we all know, the JDM market has seen a recent spike in interest lately, meaning prices are sure to be pretty high. From our research, R34 GT-R’s can cost around and upwards of $40,000. We found one for $38,000 in the same Bayside Blue featured in the movie. And don’t worry, the chassis doesn’t belong to a dune buggy.

So, now that we’ve taken a look at some Japanese cars, let’s move it back to the USA. The fourth movie in the franchise focused heavily on American-made muscle cars, and the next car on this list is as American as it gets.

1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS

The Chevelle SS is one of the most iconic American muscle cars ever made. It was created when Chevy decided to make their already-awesome Chevelle model a little more special. The one featured in the Fast & Furious is an especially badass example.

It was originally finished in bright red paint, but then stripped and refinished in grey. Dom modifies the car further to prepare it for an audition race, and it’s used later in the movie where, of course, it gets wrecked. Are we starting to see a pattern here?

The Chevelle seen in the movie is relatively basic, using a 5.7-liter V8 engine matted to 4-speed manual transmission. Some mods included a Hotchkis suspension, drift brakes, and two bucket seats. Other than that, we’re talking about an all American machine. American muscle has become as much of a staple in the Fast & Furious franchise as JDM and tuners, with Dom driving most of these badass bald eagles.

Ever wanted to rock your block in a classic muscle car like the Chevelle SS? Well, you can have one for around $30,000. Not too shabby for an American-made monster like the SS. Plus, if you look hard enough, you can find Chevelle wagons laying around too. Who could say no to utility and an American V8?

The cars on this list so far have been out of reach for most of us, but this next one may be a little more suited to humble budgets. You might recognize it from the heist scene at the beginning of the movie, the Chevy C-10.

1967 Chevy C-10

First impressions matter, and the C-10 from the Fast & Furious makes a good one. Like the Grand National listed earlier, this was one of the main cars used in the heist scene. The C-10 had a cabin to house our antiheroes, and a large hitch on the back used to rob an oil convoy.

The C-10 is one uniquely badass truck that looks cool rolling down the road, and a lot of Hollywood magic was added for even more flair. The truck in the movie had exhaust stacks, a manual shifter, and a diesel powerplant. All of these are thanks to the magic of cinema.

The real exhaust still runs underneath the truck, and the real engine is a 502-cubic-inch V8 that runs to a 3-speed auto box. It’s always slightly disappointing to pull the curtain back on the show, but sometimes the truth isn’t really that bad. The American V8 still pushes out a respectable 370 horsepower and 490 pound-feet of torque.

Now, we get to look at the cost for this beast. Obviously, the actual movie truck will cost a pretty penny, but maybe not as much as you’d think. The actual C-10 used in the film was listed on eBay back in 2018 for under $33,000. Not bad for a cool truck and a piece of movie memorabilia!

Used examples, however, may be a little more reasonable. Depending on how much patina you’d like, you can expect to pay from around $5,000 to $20,000 for a C-10. That is, of course, without having removed the bed and replacing it with a massive hitch. A few more bolt-ons and you’d be ready to hijack your own tanker truck, not that you should actually do that. Wow, I should stop making these suggestions.

The next car on our list is a little more classy than the C-10 pickup. It’s a German sedan well known for being a performance monster.

2001 BMW 540i E39

We all know that the M5 is one of the all-time greats. Practical, luxurious, and sporting chops to take down more exotic competition. However, as with all good German things, it has a tiny bit of an issue with reliability.

If you opted for one trim level below, the 540i, you’d be right in the performance sweet spot. The 540i is a much less temperamental car than the fully-fledged M5, and the production crew behind Fast & Furious seemed to be in on the secret.

The car in question belonged to a street racer named Alex, used during Dom and Brian’s qualification race to join up with Arturo. It’s also spec’d out with one of their most interesting paint jobs. With a carbon hood, blacked-out rims, and bright yellow paint, it certainly makes a statement. I’m not sure what kind of a statement, but definitely a statement nonetheless. There are also matching yellow highlights around the rims. Around 11 total cars were made for the movie, and only two survived the filming process.

For the cheap price of $10,000, you can have all this budget performance for yourself. Just make sure to keep some money on tap for eventual repairs, and maybe skip the yellow paint.

Okay, now that we’re past that Bavarian bumblebee, let’s take a look at something a little more subtle on the outside,  but way more insane under the hood.

1973 Chevy Camaro RS-Z28 F-Bomb

No time to snicker at the name, this is one seriously bad machine. The F-Bomb is a special build made by David Freiburger from Hot Rod magazine fame. The monster sports a 1,500-horsepower twin-turbo small-block V8.

For obvious reasons, the Fast & Furious crew couldn’t crash the original F-Bomb as they might’ve liked to, so instead they built their own replicas, 6 of them. Each was equipped with GM crate engines pushing 300 horsepower. 1,500 horsepower may have been a little too much power for a Hollywood set.

In the movie, the F-Bomb is driven by one of Arturo’s henchmen, getting involved in a pretty extreme version of chicken. Dom somehow manages to survive transferring himself from his own car into the Camaro using nothing but the power of physics. Remember when these movies were about Honda Civics stealing car parts from semi-trucks? Simpler times.

Anyway, I bet you’re wondering how much this awesomeness would cost you. Well, in 2010, a replica Z28 went up for sale for around $40,000, consider that when thinking of making a purchase. If you look to the used market, expect prices around $20,000 to $30,000.

With varying trims and levels of power available, you’ve got a lot of options. Just don’t forget the all-important F-Bomb sticker and matte green spray paint.

Okay, I think we’ve got most of the American machines listed. Now, let’s look at more of the Japanese motors that make the Fast & Furious such an iconic franchise.

2000 Nissan Silvia S15 Spec-R

The S15 has to be one of the most recognizable sports coupes ever built by Nissan. And thanks to the fact that it was never sold in the USA, it’s also one of the rarest. While we impatiently wait for the 25-year import laws to come into effect, we can appreciate the replicas being made with S14’s and the S15 featured in the Fast & Furious.

The movie’s director, Justin Lin, was such a fan of the Silvias featured in Tokyo Drift, he decided that this movie had to have one. The knock-off Silvia is a one-of-a-kind in the USA, an S15 with a few choice mods. A turbo’d SR20DET, GReddy intake, and Koyo radiator all give the S15 a nice power boost. And Tomei headers, Grenade stainless exhaust pipes, and an RSR downpipe just seal the deal. Not to mention, it had Volk Racing 18-inch rims, a C-West GT widebody kit, and a VIS carbon fiber hood. Very special indeed.

So, how much would all of this one-of-a-kind S15 cost you. Probably more than an arm and a leg since, you know, there’s only one. But we may have found a loophole here. Since there were a few 240SX’s made to look like S15’s for stunt purposes, plenty of 240X’s are available ranging around $10,000.

Most examples may be in less-than-favorable condition, but hey, all used cars are a canvas, right? And with some time and money, you may just be able to make yours look like the Spec-R from Fast & Furious.

This next car is another heavy-hitter from 1990’s Japan. It even branched from the very end of the fourth Fast & Furious, directly into the next film in the series.

2003 Acura NSX

In the final chase scene in the fourth installment, a scene that leaves a clear setup for a sequel, our hero Dom is sentenced to 25 years to life in prison and is being transported for incarceration. He and several other prisoners are being driven down a long desert road, and I think we all know where this is going.
His family comes to break him free driving unreasonably nice cars for a dangerous prison break.

Our pursuit vehicle of choice would have to be Mia’s 2003 Acura NSX. We all know and love the NSX, the Accord-turned-supercar-killer, designed with help from one Ayrton Senna. 

The NSX in the movie is a slightly modified version, finished in black paint, a red interior, and some sweet NSX-R performance parts for some added power. This is a seriously sweet mid-engined Honda.

So, what are we going to pay for something similar to that getaway car? Well, thanks to our mortal enemy appreciation, I have some bad news. If you want a good example, prices could run as high as $100,000. You may get lucky and find one for around $70,000, but that’s still a pretty penny.