Extended Adolescence

Right now I drive a mostly stock Kia Forte Koup. It is decently kind of quick, vaguely sporty, reliable and all that stuff. However, it has never tried to kill me, it won't spin the tires in third (or even second!) gear, and it has never once caused small children to weep piteously into the mothers' arm. In other words ... BORING.

I drive said Forte because life has forced me to care about maintenance schedules, fuel economy and parts availability. If any of you remember my previous builds, I much prefer 300 hp turbo fwd death machines, motor swapped Daewoos and gutted, 13:1 compression Corollas.

However, my days of responsible, adult decision making will not last forever and I have decided I'm going to give myself a graduation present. I want, in order of priority, the following:

1. Potential to keep me entertained for decades. This means it has to be something I can reinvent relatively easily every three years. In other words, easy to modify, build like a lego car.

2. A back seat or at least some storage room. I know this sounds weird, but it'll be easier to keep the car long term if it's merely obnoxious. Obnoxious and useless might force a sale.

3. Stick shift/doesn't need an engine swap/OBD1 or OBD2. I live in Korea. Tranny swaps are legal but a major PIA. Swapping a T56 for a T5 is pretty easy to get by with. Swapping a TH350 to a T56 would be a giant vortex of paperwork. Engine swaps are straight up illegal. I would love a LS e70 Corolla but it'll never be registered. However a 350 in the whole where a 305 came from would be okay. Stroking a 302 out to 347 likewise no problem. OBD is like the trans - makes registration a million times easier though not strictly necessary.

4. Track friendly. Fun being higher priority than absolute speed. Relatively light, good visibility. 

5. A V8. This isn't a deal breaker, but I've never owned a V8 car.

What thinks the herd? I'm leaning Windsor SN95, third gen Camaro/Fireturd, possibly C4 Vette. 

In reply to DaewooOfDeath :

Here is some info about the Camaro you’re thinking about. The Mustang (which I was also considering has some mentions as well)

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/what-can-be-said-of-4th-gen-camaros/143448/page1/

edit: I see you were asking about 3rd Gen Camaros. I’ll leave the link here, it may still benefit your search.

I would think american iron would be a ton of fun in SK.  Is that stuff unobtanium or do the troops bring enough of it in?

I think G8 with a stick, not cheap but should cover all the current requirements and the LS could be changed later.

Paul

I have been very happy with the G35 I just picked up. 6 speed, 290 hp, useable back seat, comfortable cruiser. Not a V8, but you probably won't notice that. The 6 is very willing. 

84FSP said:

I would think american iron would be a ton of fun in SK.  Is that stuff unobtanium or do the troops bring enough of it in?

When I was there only E6 and above could bring vehicles. That with the AF only having one year rotations meant not a lot of vehicles brought in. Take this with a grain of salt as I was there 20 years ago. 

I had been considering gen four Camaro/Fireturd, and that is certainly the easy button for speed. 

Having driven all four, I kind of feel this is the breakdown.

SN95 pro- easy aftermarket, good visibility, easy button rear suspension (cobra irs swap), 302 is decent for performance. I like crappy 90s Ford interior. Con- horrible default rear suspension, bad fron suspension, lowest performance potential of the four. 

Gen 3 Camaro pro - I love the way they handle from stock. Functional interior. Easy engine bay access. Con - the entire drivetrain sucks.

C4 pro - silly speed potential. Good drivetrain, good suspension. Con - flexy flier chassis, the fact everything labelled Corvette will cost four times as much.

Gen Four Camaro pro - excellent engine tranny. Good suspension front and rear. Silly speed potential. Con - berkeley that engine bay, I really dislike the stock handling (though I know the modded one handle great) and the visibility is tough.