You've got to be kidding me... I typed all that out and now have to do it again? :mad: In any case, please do take my opinions as unbiased, since I don't own any of them.
Sigh, here goes (again) from best to worst.
Mazdaspeed- Best balance overall for the money. Strong power for its size, superb handling, good brakes, sharp styling, comfortable seats, spartan-yet-attractive interior, good interior room and cargo space, Japanese quality, excellent warranty, exclusiveness. Cons: Potentially difficult to modify, crash ratings aren't the best.
Mini Cooper S- Very close to the MSP in my mind. Small, agile, and very quick for the size of the engine. BMW quality, head-turning looks (even my MOM notices these things), comfortable interior (although a bit quirky on the style). CONS: Small... too small for me. I need more cargo space than what it has to offer. I can also see myself getting tired of the "look at me!" styling after a few years. Difficult to find here in TX (few dealers).
Focus SVT- These 3 are all very close. SVT has a strong NA engine, excellent handling characteristics, even without a LSD. Very supportive, comfortable seats and well laid out interior (again, kind of quirky on the styling though). Lots of cargo space, relatively good build quality (believe it or not) and fit/finish, as well as a good warranty for the '03s. CONS: You're going to use the warranty... possibly quite a bit.
Styling hasn't entirely grown on me, and after 3 years of this body style, that's not a good sign.
Sentra Spec V- Hard car to beat for the price. I've seen it as low as $15k BRAND NEW at some dealers. It gets a bad rap from the magazines. I like the big 2.5L I4 (big as my V6!
), solid NA power (and power potential), high class handling, subtle exterior styling, comfortable interior/space, good cargo room, Japanese build quality. CONS: still not sure about the interior styling, and the warranty is sub-par in today's market (3/36k is outdated).
VW GTI 1.8T- My own addition. I honestly can't decide if it goes before or after the Spec V. It's a good platform with room for TONS of horsepower and impressive handling... with mods. Very luxurious, sexy interior, unbelieveably comfortable seats, sharp, classy exterior. Good warranty, pretty good cargo space. CONS: Sloppy suspension from the factory. Lots of body roll, doesn't feel half as confident as the MSP at not nearly the same speeds. Electronic throttle makes you feel really disconnected from the car, as does the soft shifter. Potentially irritating VW customer service and quality issues.
Neon SRT-4- An absolute BEAST on the strip, and tons of potential to make it even beastlier. Good seats (little tight for bigger people), excellent warranty, good cargo space. CONS: UGLY AS SIN. I'm sorry, it isn't nice, but it's true. Handles like a pig (and as of now, nothing you can do about it... apparently the suspension has been redone in such a way that it can't handle being lowered up front). Loud as poo, and not in a good way.
Civic Si- Nothing bad about this car, but nothing good either. It's a very "meh" car. Honda reliability/quality, good cargo space, lack of a "premium fuel only" badge, extremely comfortable seats and logical dash setup (aside from the bizarre shifter). CONS: Also quite ugly. Looks like a 2-door Odd-essy. Shifter is just strange, suspension/handling sucks, and the engine is mediocre at best.
There, I'm done. Again.
