If you want to drift you need a RWD or AWD car with small traction on the front wheels like the Nissan Silvia/180SX/200SX, Toyota AE86 Levin/Trueno, Nissan Skyline, Mazda RX7, RX8, Nissan 350z and others.

How should a beginner set up his machine to drift?

First of all you have to start with the suspension, then you should also change the brake pads, and if you have more money to spend you can upgrade the CPU, exhaust system, seats, steering and shift knob. And as you improve, changing the LSD may be good in future. Anyway, what I want to mean is that you don't need lots of money to enjoy the sports of drifting.

The power should be as much as possible. A professional drift car has around 400bhp but you can drift well with 250-300bhp. Suspension needs to be stiffened by replacing the springs and shock absorbers and add more negative camber at the front than the rear wheels. 

To drift well you need to fell the way that the car goes. To do this you have to replace the stock seats with racing seats. Replacing the Steering Wheel and the Shift Knob is also good to control the car easily.

 

The wheels and tires depend on what power you have on the car. If you have a Skyline with 700hp you need wide tires because slim tires and wheels will make the car harder to control. If you have an Toyota AE86 Trueno you need slim tires and wheels otherwise the car will have too much grip for the car power.

Drift Instructions