Reliable, Sporty, Luxury and 4-drs
300M aside from the Automatic.....
but since you want a manual trans:
2003 Chrysler PT Cruiser Turbo about $12-14K depending on options package 7yr 70K warranty is transferable
220 HP @5,100rpm
245 TQ @2,400rpm
Infiniti G20t
lacking on power but luxo features are nice
Nissan Sentra SE-R Can be had for $11-14K
Mazdaspeed Protege Can be had for $12-14K
Audi 1.8T Non-Quattro for much improved perofrmance Audi A4 2.8 Quattro 5spd Jetta 1.8T for that German feel Hyundai Elantra GT - Hatchback, Luxury features , long warranty Matt! Tough choices for you and your folks to decide on.
I like the Audi A4 with Quattro for the New England winters.
I like the Elantra GT for its cost and high rich content feautres. A guy at my work makes about $125K a year and drives one. I quite like it, but have never driven it.
PT Turbo for pacticality, that hatchback with folding seats is sure nice for someone on the go. Add in the long Chrysler warranty & 220HP you have a winner.
Jetta, well are you gay?
MazdaSpeed Protege, riciest non-luxo pure sport of the bunch. Definitely a winner in the sporty-factor!
G20T, I cringe at the low HP numbers but it makes decent enough power to get out of its own way.
It's not my money but since we are already at the 2006MY of cars, I would try and stick to 2002 and under 50K miles for the reliability factor.
