if you go with a late 3rd gen you gotta consider teh 91-92 birds. the banshee nose years are really cool looking and have a great combo of handling adn power.
you could always look around for a pace car with the 3.8 turbo motor and explain to your rents that it is "just" a V6.
a lot fo it will depend on yoru budget when it is time to shop. 3rd gen birds are noticably more expensive than the camaro's with equal options
later
tim