Which Sports Compact Car?

[Jun aka Pekto]

My wife and I have been discussing a replacement for our Ford Contour SE which is now approaching its 12th year. We decided to replace it with a sports compact car (for myself). Our price limit is more or less near $20k, preferably less. I was hoping to see that Kia or Hyundai turbo concept car materialize. But, nothing definite yet. So, if we were to buy a new sports compact car right now, these are what I came up with:

Chevy Cobalt SS Supercharged 2-dr coupe
hp: 205 torque: 200lb/ft*4400rpm, 5-spd M/T, Curb wt: 2991lbs
0-60mph: 6.0 sec, 1/4 mile sec: 14.5*98.2mph

Mazda3 4-dr sedan
hp: 160 torque: 153lb-ft*6500rpm, 5-spd M/T, Curb wt: 2762lbs
0-60mph: 8.1 sec, 1/4 mile sec: 16.1*86.6mph

Hyundai Tiburon V6 2-dr coupe
hp: 172 torque: 181lb-ft*3800rpm, 5-spd M/T, Curb wt: 2969lbs
0-60mph: 7.0sec, 1/4 mile sec: 15.3*90.8mph

Scion tC 2-dr coupe
hp: 160 torque: 163lb-ft*4000rpm, 5-spd M/T, Curb wt: 2907lbs
0-60mph: 8.0 sec, 1/4 mile sec: 15.9*87.1mph

Honda Civic Si 2-dr coupe
hp: 197 torque: 139 lb-ft*6100rpm, 6-spd M/T, Curb wt: 2877lbs
0-60mph: 6.4 sec (est) 1/4 mile sec: 15.0*93mph (est)



I also tend to be a "bang for the buck" kind of guy. So, I 've always stayed away from the more upscale names like Acura.

[wren]

how about a baby viper...the Dodge Neon SRT4.

SRT4's turbocharged and intercooled 2.4-liter double overhead camshaft (DOHC) 16-valve 4-cylinder engine produces an impressive 230 horsepower and 250 lb-ft of torque. Producing that kind of power from a 2.4-liter engine is one thing, but few could make it work day-in and day-out like SRT4.
New Quaife automatic torque biasing (ATB) differential to help put the power to the ground
Dual-outlet exhaust system
Zero to 60 in 5.8 seconds with an electronically limited 148 mph top speed
High-capacity clutch and pressure plate
Fully independent MacPherson strut front suspension

all these for $21K.

[mazdamazda]

I'll go with the facelifted Hyundai Tiburon



the other cars in consideration looks oh-so-boring next to the Tiburon Coupe.

[flakez]

im a honday guy, so i'll go for the SI. hehehe

[Jun aka Pekto]

how about a baby viper...the Dodge Neon SRT4.

all these for $21K.

I wanted to include the SRT-4. But, I thought Dodge quit production this year. Same goes for the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. But yep, love the SRT-4.

If I'm going to buy a used car, count in the SRT-4. There's also a 2004 M/T fully-loaded V6 Mazda6 ($18.3k) I also considered. For now though, we're leaning toward brand new cars.

[wren]

I wanted to include the SRT-4. But, I thought Dodge quit production this year. Same goes for the Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V. But yep, love the SRT-4.

really?! i didn't know that...too bad.

[wrcastro_ph]

Parang mas lamang talaga ang Civic Si sa lahat. Closer sana yung Cobalt... kaya lang parang di maganda ang itsura ng Cobalt.

[gwapito69]

from what I heard is tranmission ng dodge e di tumatagal bosing. ayaw nyo ba ng celica or rsx?

[Jun aka Pekto]

really?! i didn't know that...too bad.

I think Dodge is replacing the SRT-4 with the Dodge Caliber SRT-4 which will have 300hp. I'm undecided on the styling, though.

[Jun aka Pekto]

from what I heard is tranmission ng dodge e di tumatagal bosing. ayaw nyo ba ng celica or rsx?

Totoo yun kung yung lumang Dodge like our old 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan which our Sonata replaced. The minivan had a $3k transmission repair which was covered by our extended warranty, thank goodness.

But, the new Dodge cars internals should benefit from Mercedez Benz which Dodge is teamed up with.

The Celica is defunct too. The 200hp RSX starts near $23k which is also where the Mazdaspeed 3 will probably start. A bit beyond the limit set by the Misis.