Sporty Hatchback for commuting?

I'm gonna have to retire my beloved Mustang convertible - at 200K, it's getting ready to die, and I just can't afford the gas bills anymore. But the fun/$ ratio will be tough to match.

My criteria are:
1. Fun; acceleration, cornering.
2. Cheap ($6K max), reliable, good gas mileage
3. Back seat for occasionally hauling the kids
4. Hatchback for occasionally hauling piles of stuff.

A this point, I'm just looking at:
90-93 Integra (don't like the later styles)
95+ GTI VR6

I had a civic, and while I'm sold on Honda reliability, I had a hard time staying awake in the thing. I've gotten used to having torque, so I don't know if the integra would do it for me.

What do you all think?

If you want torque the VR6 looks to be the better of the two cars you mention.