Choosing a sporty, affordable car

Hi guys, new to the forum and thanks for any answers that come along. I'm looking for drivers who have owned/driven either a 2004-2006 Mazda6 (3.0 V6), a 2003-2005 Cadillac CTS, or a 1998-2001 Audi A4 1.8T. This seems like an odd group of cars but I'm looking for a sporty used car that won't kill the bank, has relatively good reliability, easy (relatively) on gas, and looks smart. I also want a manual tranny, which narrows the group considerably.

I'm leaning towards an early CTS with the 3.2L V6/5-speed because it offers RWD driving dynamics, but I'm wondering if any enthusiast Mazda owners out there can stand by their 6's and convince me otherwise - a Mazda6 would definitely be easier to find and likely in better shape. we have snowy winters where I live, so that's a prop towards either FWD or AWD, but I could manage.

Any ideas?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Cheers,
Aaron

Subaru

Which one? The Legacy 2.5GT >2005 looks like a blast, but its costly, and the <2005's are only working with 165 hp.

Depends on what your budget is

honda accord 2dr. honda civic si or scion tc

yeah check out some suubs... probably my favorite car.. my impreza STi lasted me 10 years until i had to go out and get something else :(
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nice listing there