This

Honda civic, all money spent on motor

Z06, GT500 or modded 5.0

Those would probably be my top choices, in no particular order.

I think finding a 2011+ 5.0 for $25k and dropping another $15k into performance mods would probably be the most fun. Supercharger, exhaust, suspension, done.

Depends on your idea of fun. Personally I enjoy handling, Z06 takes the cake in this hands down. And he would also have mod money for the Z06 with a 40k budget.

Hey I actually had a good suggestion then lol

new mustang gt
pre owned cert 335i

need 1 more suggestion!

Nissan Sentra.

Do you have something against corvettes? Everyone suggesting the C6 Z06 is giving you the best performance car that can currently be had for $40k.

It is 10 second capable
It handles as good or better than anything else on the road
Address the dropped valve issue with the LS7 and you can then fix it with a hammer. It's still a GM V8 powered car. Cost of ownership is really low considering the performance.

A new mustang GT is a joke in comparison. God forbid you decided to cam the Z06 and put exhaust on it... 550-600whp if you port the heads.

what about a used cts v