Junior project car
Curious what everyone would build/buy if you were 16 right now with a $5000 budget.
Park outside (garage with tools to work in)
Driven all year (snow)
Runs 13’s (8.XX 1/8 mile)
15MPG
Cruise control, a/c, overdrive (what could you do without?)
you're 16, you can live with a lot of nonsense. i know that most all of us did when we were in our teens and 20's driving cars without AC, cruise, power anything, radios, carpet, headliner, springs in the seat pokin' us in the ***.
i'm old and washed now. i need at the bare minimum AC.
but to your question, 5K kinda takes anything vintage off the table if that number includes purchase. which puts you squarely in the S10, mustang, dakota territories (as you've found out).
because this is moparlandia i'll cast my vote for a dakota or durango. out here you can scoop one for anywhere between 2~3.5 for something okay. snap a cam and headers on it and flash the pcm and roll. or a charger. i see them floating around in the middle 3's with v8's but know going in that it's gonna be hammered.
just try and buy something as complete as possible that's running and driving. don't buy somebody else's project. i repeat: do.not.buy.a.project. that will only lead to frustration and heartache. and you spending all of your foldin' money for nuthin'.