An odd round of which car

So am looking for a second vehicle/fun car. Budget around 5k with the goal of a decent car now that could be "spruced up" over time. Would like to manual and a v8. The oddity comes in to what I am considering.

The classic car front either a 66ish mustang or early 60s falcon. The eventual goal of getting it to look like the trans am series cars.

Or a fox chassis mustang. Would prefer a ttop model

Or a early 2000s mustang gt

Or the odd ball out a 2004 Grand Prix Gtp comp G. Yes I know no v8 no manual.

It will be a second car but reliability is still important. Would eventually like to get into autocross and maybe a track day but this would be some time down the road.

What would you go with?

You'll be hard pressed to find a Falcon or a ~66 Mustang with a V8 for under $5k. At least not one worth buying.

Fox body Mustangs are still going for stupid low prices. They do work, especially when de-smogged and twiddled with.

2000 era Mustang is better than a Fox body Mustang in probably every way measurable.

No Grand Prix experience or knowledge, so no GP comments.

foxtrapper wrote: You'll be hard pressed to find a Falcon or a ~66 Mustang with a V8 for under $5k. At least not one worth buying.

You will not however, be hard pressed to find a 6 cylinder Falcon worth buying for well under $5k, that you can drop a V8 into for a minimal amount of money.

I'd avoid a t-top car if you have any sporting intentions.
You will be giving up a lot of body rigidity.
Additionally, very prone to interior ruining leaks.

JohnRW1621 wrote: I'd avoid a t-top car if you have any sporting intentions. You will be giving up a lot of body rigidity. Additionally, very prone to interior ruining leaks.

But that doesn't leave much room to show off a mullet

Can he get into a 2005 Mustang GT?

Early '00 Mustang GTs are a good choice. Mine has 285k on it now, and I love it. Modifications are plentiful and cheap, and they're a decent DD, as well.

It's nice having modern features like airbags, ABS, power steering/brakes, etc. Still has the V8 rumble to enjoy, and the fuel economy isn't bad considering what it is. I average about 21 MPG for my mostly back-road commute that has a bunch of stop and go.

I vote foxbody. I like the look and they are super cheap.

Maybe I'm in the wrong location but any Fox Bodies I see worth a crap I see are over $5K now. The under 5K ones are pretty hacked up or a roller. The classic mustang V8 ship under $5k sailed a long time ago.

It looks like the new edge mustangs would be the only ones to fit the bill.

How well do the early 00 gt's handle stock, for the down the road autocross/ road course stuff?

Miata. Then talk to Keith about an LS swap.

i'm with bmw88rider. fox mustangs are overpriced where I live. right up there with e30's.

I would say a 00's GT would handle better then any of the other options.

My vote is something old. I recently bought a 67 Chevelle for not much more then you budget and while I have no illusions about tracking it driving it around town these past months has been awesome!

Mustang or Vette

I owned an 05 GTP CompG. While the sound of the supercharger screaming like a banshee after building a custom airbox is very addicting, the rest of the package leaves a lot to be desired in the fun department. With a custom tune the tapshifter works as well as any automatic based transmission but in stock form there is no fun to found there. It's still a GM W-body, if fun is the goal I would look elsewhere.

C4 TPI or LT1 there are a lot out there in your price range.

Lt1 being trans am and camaro's right? I just don't like how they look . I like the older 70's ones but not the 90's or early 00s.

In reply to Somebeach:

C4=Corvette

Another odd car you can look at is a FC RX-7 and put a 5.0 and T-5 in it.

Clutch the point of this was to make it easier not add more choices ha ha. I have not seen the fc in front of the rx-7 before is that just a range of years?

Mid thanks I wasn't aware of the lt1 in the vets thanks.

"FC" is the chassis code.

Early '00s Mustang GTs handle OK. They understeer when pushed, and the rear axle is not very settled over bumpy pavement. However, the 245 (stock) front & rear tires provide decent grip on smooth pavement. There is some brake dive (although not as significant as Fox bodies). There are plenty of options for fixing the stock characteristics, but I find mine pretty satisfying to drive.

I'm not sure what you're using as a benchmark, but I'd say it's 8/10s of the handling feel of my '97 BMW 328is (Sport Pkg.), and probably 9/10s of the ultimate grip of the BMW.

My only benchmark of a coupe type car ( didn't even want to use the word sporty) was an '86 fiero I had in college with the v6. I thought it handled fairly well for me anyways.

Look for a C4 with the L98 motor and 6 speed, '90 or '91 IIRC. Easier to repair and can make every bit as much power as an LT1 without the stupid OpiSpark.

Update, my search has ended for now. I picked up a 2006 Acura TL 6 speed this weekend. Thanks for all the advice!