Fun car advice?

In reply to BigEgyptian :

Frankly I'm shocked.  I wouldn't wait too long,   
      Now the 3.6 will take higher revs than the 4.0 but doesn't have the mid range grunt of the 4.0. 
    The British racers prefer the 3.6 but I'd shop around for a XJR sedan to steal the engine out of. (322 net horsepower. More power than the 6.0 V12).  But I'm a racer, Somes good, Mores better, Too much is just fun!  

BigEgyptian said:

thashane said:

You left RWD off your updated list, so... MINI Clubman S

Cooper S (R52) has always been high on my list.
Kids are growing up way too fast for me to get one now... have to get it as a 2-seater only at this point, which is not a priority.

The Clubman never got me excited, for some reason.

Well I'm 6'8 and have no regrets buying the R55. I've always been a RWD guy, but this little car is alot of performance for the cost. Also consider the drift tax is inflating the cost of all things rwd/fun. I agree your kids wouldn't have optimum comfort, and I wouldn't consider it a 4 seater if you're over 6', but they're kids. Guess I'm biased because I grew up in the "backseat" of a 90s Toyota extra cab pickup. Definitely enough room to drive both of them to the track if one of them sits out, while ON the track.

Another vote for crown vic then, if you can get over the AT. Get a detectives or admin car that has real back seats, you can assume those cars would have significantly less engine hours than the caged, plastic rear seat patrol versions that spend 20 hours a day idling. I really want to see what one would do with 200tw tires on it

Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:

$20k buys a pretty nice late-60s or early 70s GM A body with enough left over for some suspension mods to make it funner between the cones.

LeMans, Cutlass, Chevelle, GS/Skylark

 

I might have missed your reply, but this is really the best answer since you're thinking pre-73. There's a '65 Olds F85 convertible near me and I keep telling my wife that if I see the dude I'd try to trade him for my Z4 in a second, if for no other reason than that it's a family convertible and is beyond the point of being able to look simply dated. She's less impressed. And as I daily drive my car more and more it's less likely, but still...

I haven't seen where you've settled the incongruity between "lap belts only = bad" and "pre-'73 = good". If you decide to go for it anyway, Curtis has your answer.