old guy needs fun modern-ish driver

Another one I thought of is the 1993 to 98 Lincoln Mark VIII. They are very reasonably priced typically, and have the DOHC 4 valve 4.6 modular engine, very similar to the Cobra, putting out 300 to 320 hp. Platform is the same as the Thunderbirds and Cougars of the same years, so parts are common. The 1984 to 1992 Mark VII Lincolns are fox body based, and all have the 5.0 Windsor motor, though I would avoid the 84 and 85 models, they were low performance TBI, where the 86 and up had the same high output 5.0 roller cam MPFI engine as the Mustang GT. I had a 89 LSC coupe, fun car, handled well and decent performance. They only came with AOD transmissions, but can easily be converted to a stick using all fox body Mustang parts.