Maybe you should get an MSP and then invite them to an autox and see how great they are. Seriously, if you think the SRT-4 is ugly, don't get one just so you can hang with these guys who really don't matter. There's always gonna be someone faster. If you get a 12 second car there's going to be some guy running 11's and you'd be saying that you want to give him a run for his money. In the world of 4 cylinder turbo performance the SRT-4's will still get owned by any number of DSM's out there, and there's always the V8 guys around to make the SRT-4 owners feel pretty small too.
Don't buy a car to show someone else up, or give them a run for their money. Buy the car that you're going to like. Which car would you enjoy riding in the most? You have to consider the entire driving experience, not just mashing the gas from a stoplight. You can cruise the strip in an MSP and have a much better sound system to bump, you can head up to the mountains and have a much better time with the awesome handling. Or you could drive around an ugly car and go fast from a stoplight.