I've slid sink's vert many nights, no top is extra fun, but if your on a budget 5-speed swap and chasis mods can cut pretty deep.

With $3k to work with, look for a stock and decent 5-speed for around $1k so you can still buy coilovers $1000.00, $120.00 RUCAs and a good alignment with money left over to fix it when you wreak it.