A Crown vic?
Now *that* is a car I'd pour money into if I had one. It inspires fear in the hearts of other drivers on the road and cops think you're one of them. I don't know how much money it would cost, but have you considered engine mods? Shaved heads and reground cams should buy you some gas mileage. Definitely go for the manual transmission if you can, if not maybe install a manual lockup switch if possible.