STi and Evo Eclipsed
 

Great car Ben. IMHO, they ruined the Eclipse when they shoved a V-6 in there. The 4-cylinder, Turbo is by far the benchmark -- especially in AWD form. I think they got rid of that in the late 90's, unfortunately. The DSM triplets (Mitsu Eclipse/Eagle Talon/Plymouth Laser) are good platforms for some decent fun.

Honestly, if you want the best bang-for-the-buck, the WRX STi definitely has it made (the Mitsu AWD replacment sedean, the Evo has its share of problems or I could recommend it, as the 2 cars are so identical in performance). Subaru really pumps a lot of paola into racing teams worldwide to make the "scene" and improve design. Of course, it's a street-legal racecar, so a used is probably abused.

So, (not)Jared, what kind of vehicle are you looking for? A hatch, sedan, roadster...???

RH77

car accident? I thought it was stolen. My memory is shot.

that is why i want the 02+i wouldnt get the v6, i would get the 1.8t which does get 3 mpg better than the wrx across the board. i will never own a dsm, i have friends that had them....
15-18% is an exadgeration. there a couple examples out there where the fwd version of the car only gets 1-2mpg better than the awd version. i understand your point, but i am tired of fwd.
i havent heard of any issues with audis quattro.. i have a bunch of friends with 00-01 s4s. i thought about a 90s bmw but they are hard to find. benzes are too fat. i didnt know the matrix came in awd though. i was really considering the mazda, but i dont know again there too... they are great autoxers but are pretty slow.it got stolen, then recovered, then they tried again and failed, then the accident.

OK so here is an update from the wife's specifications:
she prefers i have an awd car because she is worried that rwd sucks in the snow. also i bet i didnt specify before, but i will never own an automatic car.

omg, rwd owns in the snow. if you accually know how to drive it doesnt matter if you have rwd/fwd/or awd. i own a rwd s-10 5speed. sure you spin the tires a tad and rwd does fishtail more than fwd but if you go slow it wont. its also easier to correct if the rear end does slide out. (again if you know how to drive this becomes second nature) i have never gotten stuck in either my truck or my chevette and we get some large ammounts of snow.
i always find it funny (around here anyways) that people with awd or 4X4 always seem to be in the ditch more. I think this is because they get over confident that they think since they have 4wd that they can speed around cornners, think they can stop on a dime, go 60mph on snowpacked unplowed highways.

lol sorry for my rant but im tired of people saying they NEED awd or 4X4 to get thru snow...

Let me make this very clear: YOU DO NOT WANT AN AUDI! Those things are an electrical disaster in progress. The Subaru would be a much better choice but you can't expect a whole lot of FE out of it. AWD isn't necessary if you have a good set of snow tires. FWD will do just fine.

You already know Hondas pretty well. You can buy a 6th gen Accord for ~9k with a 4-cylinder and a 5-speed manual. Run the living hell out of it if you want or, even better, take it easy and enjoy FE just as good or better than the Fit. That's my vote.

I agree with rh77 on the Matrix/Vibe but just stick with the Matrix and look for an XRS AWD, not too easy to find but I think the fun factor/reliability may be what you're looking for PLUS it's just so practical.

i am really done with fwd. i am tired of not being able to cut a 60ft less than 2.1 the whole safety issue is with my wife for awd over rwd. i definitely dont want an accord. if i were to stay with fwd i would get another civic. i have heard rumors of the newer audis and vws having electrical problems but i have never seen a case in point...i understand that what your saying, but with the kind of car i would be getting, she would be right, it would have to love to oversteer. i admit i only know fwd in the snow, but i know i could learn. in any case, you would have to convice my wife. if i found a deal on a sporty rwd car i would pick it up and not care what she thinks. right now i am exploring my options and waiting to find a killer deal before i spend.

What about a MR2? FWD cars can have o.k. 0-60ft times, but the lsd/suspension need to be set up properly.

CR
 

Check Consumer Reports under the "Electrical" Category of individual models within the last 5 years.

yea, but between all types of drivetrains that are the worst for the launch. i want 1.7 and 1.8 not 2.0+. i have thought about the mr2, it seems like a strong possibility like the miata. if i find a killer deal i think i would like it.I understand and have read the same thing. I want to know what exactly goes wrong. I am not doubting, I just want more understanding.