Oh yeah,as some one else suggested,the Vibe GT is also a good buy. My mom was looking at them,before she decided to get a 2005 Kia Sportage,which she'll be getting soon.
I took the Vibe out for a spin,and even with the auto,it was quick!...and it wasn't even the GT,it was just the base 140hp Toyota 1ZZ,found in the Celica GT. I'm 19,so I can't exactly afford payments and insurance on a brand new car,but if I had the money,a Vibe GT would be sitting in my driveway right now. Awesome looking car/suv/truck whatever you want to call it (before the 2005 facelift with the softer looking front end). Interior is well laid out and it's extremely comfortable. The Vibe GT also has the same 1.8L 2ZZ VVTL-i that the Celica has and rated at 180hp,and that engine has some grunt! I was surprised how well it can pull along a vehicle much larger than the Celica,and that was only with the 140hp model.
The Vibe is definetly a good buy.However,if you compare prices,you'll find they are priced a little higher than the competition. They're more expensive than vehicles like the Rav4,Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage (the NEW Kia Sportage being an excellent buy as well) and I think it's a little more than the Escape as well. But it is good looking,very practical,very reliable,due to Toyota parts,but cheap to fix,due to the GM name and basically it's just a little sportswagon. I am not a fan of GM products either,but when I drove that thing,I wanted to give the dealer my mom's Kia,my Mystique and whatever money I had in my bank account!
Definetly worth a look...but I'd still look at the Maxima first,since it'll be cheaper.
