It's a sickness....

I could see the S 10 chassis with a 3.8L V-6 ,200R4 trans with a/c p/s p/b under that body .
OR to keep it in the "What the heck is that ? " department a \6 904 or 998 or A500 and all the rest .

But to keep it simple just run the stock S-10 4 or 2.8L V6 with stock auto trans . If you start with a good used S-10 you could recoup some of the cost by selling all the body parts .
This is the route I'd like... I'd like simple and budget friendly... She wants comfortable and easy... And has zero interest in horsepower...
Just look nice and be quiet and simple...