Taurus = junk, my parents had one, and it was in the shop every third week from day one (they bought it new).
Older honda's (the 4500 dollar kind) are more basic transportation than "sporty".
Corsica + Grand Prix = GM WTF!? They represent everything that is wrong with american automotive styling, along with the tremendous amount of underengineering that goes into any GM car that isn't a vette or caddy.
Contour...reliable? I love my car, but what the hell are you somking? Waterpumps? 4 bangers are not impervious to that either. They also need their timing belts changed to prevent catastrophic problems. Warped brake rotors up the whazoo. Ford front wheel drive auto trannys are complete garbage.
Don't even think about Dodge.
I think in terms of reliability, and a sporty image, and older VW would be great. A GTI, 16 valve jetta, or whatever. VWs last forever, especially those with 4 cyl motors.
