hey guys this is my first post so a couple things before i get down to buisness..i am 17 years old, live in ny and ive been working my *** off for the past 3 months to get an f-body. now that i finally have the cash im having a lot of trouble deciding witch body style/year/motor/mods. i managed to save up 3500 but when i turn 18 i have about 9000$ to play with. with the 3500 i have now i really want to get a decent condition 4th gen with t-tops and it has to be manual but a 2nd or 3rd gen will do if it can do what i need it to do. i really dont think i have the knowledge or tools to do any kind of motor swap. so heres the goal..i eventualy want to give the car somewhat of an autocross setup and lighten it up as much as possible but maintain the stock ride height because there are alot of fun dirt roads where i live. now for the drivetrain-the motor does'nt need alot of power i would just like it to be fast revving and have really good throttle response i also want to lighten it up as much as i can for example driveshaft flywheel wheels....so to sum it all up i need a very durable reliable car that is driveable and can handle a turn just as good as it can go down the strip...lets just say that in my line of work i need to a car capable of completly getting away from anyone anywhere any time on almost any kind of surface (grass dirt street gravel.....snow.....just kidding about snow)...........any suggestions on what year to get,what motor to use,what mods to get or any general ideas would be very helpfull!! ohh 2 more things, i would like to keep the car as factory as possible so the more parts made by gm the better and a/c and power accesories besides steering are usless to me.... so please help me out guys any info helps!!!!!!!!!!

 

If you have $9,000, get an LS1 without a doubt.

If you just have the $3,500, get an LT1.

 

I would look for a 98-02 z28 with the 6 speed.