I'll give my opinion, even though this isn't really the right forum for it...
First, since I grew up with a sixties muscle car (1966 Mustang) You have to ask yourself, do you really want a forty year old car with forty year old technology, problems, etc? I loved the old Mustang, had many adventures in it from the time I was about six, but as it got older, it's flaws became apparent. Repairs and constant restoration projects on the Mustang were far more money than the car ever cost orginally, and nothing we did ever really fixed a forty year old design.
Since you are on the Lotus page, let me note, that a very nice Elise, merely three or four years old costs less than $30k. A brand new Mustang decently equipped, is more than that, as is a Corvette, (well the Corvette is alot more) The Elise will run circles around these cars, if it is speed and handling that you want.
So, we'll leave it up to you. If your heart is set on an antique, go for the Corvette, it is lighter, faster, rust free (fiber glass) and I always thought the old ones were cool!
opcorn:
