izigame.me

Retro, a bit bare feeling in places, but very effective where it counts and a lot of fun. Possibly one of the most challenging and involving driving games you can run on a potato spec system!
If your game choice is restricted by hardware spec (as mine was when I got this game a couple years ago) then I'd strongly recommend this title if it's on sale. It's entertaining enough that you won't care about not being able to run the frankly bloated-in-comparison 'premium' games. Just don't blame me if you find yourself in the garage in the middle of the night, shouting and cursing over a bunch of gearboxes and diffs...
Although quite modest in file size and basic visually (not necessarily bad things), plenty of work has been invested in the gameplay. Vehicle handling and physics feel pretty realistic and changes you make are accurately reflected in the vehicle's characteristics. Audio is good - I6s sound like I6s, V8s sound like V8s. The heavy torquey motors sound different to the revvy race units. A variety of different engine sounds are modelled too, so for example if you're using turbos you can hear them spooling which can help to judge shifting / braking etc.
This game is about more than just driving though, with the mechanical side being equally important. If you want to do well at this game, be prepared to spend just as long in the garage as behind the wheel.
That fact might be off-putting for some. So probably will be the fact that you can't expect to just jump into a hypercar right from the beginning. You start with a basic compact sedan. Want a hypercar? You have to *build* it!
That said, you don't need to be a professional mechanic (I'm not), but it certainly helps to have a basic knowledge of a car's main components. The garage is well laid out and straightforward to use though; just click on components to check their condition and repair / replace as desired. You can't tune individual parts but you can replace them - eg if you want different gear ratios, swap for a different gearbox. Same applies to other components. It's actually quite reminiscent of building with Lego come to think of it!
If you're coming to this with experience of playing big budget games on latest spec rigs, then I confess this might be a bit harder to recommend, especially if you're used to reality-challenging visuals. Some elements which you might not have experienced in other games though:
- Vehicle damage. Whether racing or in freeroam, every tree, rock or other car you hit causes damage to your vehicle. Cause enough damage and you might not even finish the race! (you can restart however). Even if you do win, you've probably still caused some damage due to wear. If you think you're good at racing a car which can't get damaged, how good are you at racing one which can? Also, no rewind!
- Vehicle modification. The lack of RL manufacturer licensing means no restrictions on modifications or vehicles appearing damaged. Do what you want with whatever you want (well, within reason. There are still some restrictions but they're not imposed by manufacturers)
- The overall sense of peril. Not just from the vehicle damage, but from the risk of losing your car. Yes, you can lose the car you invested hours of testing and thousands of bucks in. On the other hand, you can win your rival's car...

As for DLC?
Turbo pack is a definite recommend, especially if it's bundled with the main game. Really helps to get the most of out of the variety of different engines. I've had it since the beginning and wouldn't want to play without.
Lighting pack improves night vision but it's still possible to complete night races without. Optional.
Convertibles pack gives you access to some more vehicles and some extra races. Optional.
(It's actually possible to win turbos and extra lights from some of the races even without the DLC but what you get will be random and you can't replace it if you lose / break it!)

For context, since I got this game a couple of years ago I have upgraded my system and played a variety of more modern, hardware-demanding titles. I recently returned after some major updates piqued my curiosity. Having been spoiled by my experience with bigger budget games I didn't have very high expectations... but I ended up getting hooked again and playing right through another campaign! Maybe that was nostalgia, or... maybe this is actually a damn good game?