My buddy has a 5.3 junkyard engine with a turbo on it, its been together for several years, nothing fancy, 698 hp at the rear tires.
Its in a truck, he pulled out of the junkyard, he fixed up the truck, he painted it, has less than 9K in the entire truck.
A lot of time, but not a lot of money spent. Its reliable, and he daily drives it in the summer.