new car options

well currently i have an 84 caprice classic, which is a nice car. see my sig for a picture of it.
i really like it but due to having a 3.8 V6, it is slower than, well, molasses.

my current thinking is that i would like to spend around 3K dollars.

the first option would be to put a rebuilt (by me) chevy 350 and 700r4 trans in.
i like this option, but the modifications would exceed the value of the car 3 fold

this leads me to my second option...
sell the car and get another one, which is where you guys come in.

my criterion are:
cheap
manual transmission (this is a must)
available parts (i will be doing all my own work on it)
fun

i would prefer RWD, for the simple reason that it makes more sense to me to have the load of accelerating, braking, turning, and such not all on the front wheels, but i can make exceptions for exceptional cars.

to point you in the right direction, i really like subaru imprezas, 300zx, and rx-7s, although the rx-7 is a bit small.
i also like the cadillac allante, but i'm nearly positive that it was only available as an automatic... it is also FWD, but that is ok.
i also really like the dodge omni, which is a FWD as well.
camaros are pretty much in line with what i want, but a lot of people have them, and i like to be original.

if anybody has any great ideas that i havent considered, let me know.
i'm trying to decide here, and i am currently leaning towards the new engine and transmission, but if you can come up with any good cars, i might change courses.


wow... i ramble a lot.

thanks in advance
:)

80s muscle cars fit this criteria well. Maybe the Firebird would be a little more original than a Camaro (looks better than the chevy IMO)? Mustang fits, but is just as popular as a Camaro if not more.

Other ideas: 240sx, older Z, or an older Supra may work too, but i dunno if those will go for 3 grand.

well 3k was for modifications.
if i were to sell my car, and get around 1-1.5k for it, there would be extra money available

mustangs are perfect, but... EVERYONE HAS ONE.

Dude, don't sell it. I'd give a leg for it.

and how much is this leg of yours worth?

i dont know. i really just want something that can be made sufficiently fast, and has a manual tranny.

any ideas?
80's muscle cars are great, but they are getting to the point where they will be more maintenance than its worth.
that is why i was leaning towards early 90's cars.

what's your price range

as i said earlier, around 3K.
read my first post

Ah, i thought the 3k was for modding existing vehicle. I would say foxbody mustang, the price range doesnt leave alot of choices, but as you said earlier, its common. Still, you aren't going to get alot of rarity for 3 grand

You might be able to pull off something like a mid-90s Taurus SHO for 4500, with decent miles on it (90k-ish?).

That would be a good, fast car with decent aftermarket options, and past warranty so you have the option to do with it what you like.

High miles, but this is a pretty good looking car. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Taurus-SHO-with-Uprgrades-Borla-Super-Chip-Mustang-Rims_W0QQitemZ160119386961QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item 160119386961

i was actually considering that
the real main requirement here is that it has to have a manual tranny. thats almost absolute