I have had to get rid of my S2000 and now my 911 due to the demands of a new family. I am now looking for a pocket rocket at around 20k. I have narrowed it down to the ford focus sti wagon, Mazda3 Hatchback,and the Impreza wrx wagon.

I am looking for a fun and feisty four door and not raw power. High revving and good handling is most important. Just like the S2000.

Are there any others I should test drive??

 

srt4

 

I dont like the look of the srt4

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by cshama I am now looking for a pocket rocket at around 20k. I have narrowed it down to the ford focus sti wagon,

 

I just read some really angry comments from ford focus owners on carreview.com

They seem to be generally infuriated at the reliability. I heard it has improved recently but scary none the less. For 16k though it sounds like a great deal.

 

Well, they like it in Europe, where Ford isn't a bastard stepchild, and Car and Driver named it one of their Ten Best. But make your own decision. I wouldn't let an anonymous site like carreview.com decide what toilet paper to use, much less what car I drive, but make your own decision.

 

good point

 

You could check out the Sentra SE-R spec V. I think it gets over looked way too often. About 2700lbs, 175hp, 180 lb/ft, 6 speed tranny, 17" rims, and handles pretty darn well. The torque really makes around town driving easier since you don't have to dog on the car to get it to go... I have one as my daily so any questions are welcome.

 

I had a Vibe GT for a year. It was a nice daily driver. Had a lack of low-end, but enough to cruise around town. Above 6000rpm, it screamed to the 8350rpm fuel cutoff. Fun car. Toyota quality and GM pricing.

 

The New Mazda 6 is very low 20s.