Coming from a Mazda 6s...

What would be a comparable car to go to?

The Mazda 6s if i recall correctly has somewhere near 220 hp, FWD, and what i think to be good handling and good brakes. Although the turn radius was not that great or its acceleration.

I am 16 and that was my first car, i need to sell it because the payments are beginning to rise above my income. What i want to do is pay somewhere near 7 grand (no more than 8) on a used car, so i can buy it outright and not have to worry about a monthly payment on the car itself. Id like a car with AWD and automatic transmission, or at least the ability to hold its own in wet and snowy weather.

Another thing is it would help if it didnt need excessive regular maintence, im not heavily into that side of cars myself and for now i have been relying on shops to do any work so good reliability would be nice too.

And i dont need anything faster than the 6 was, that was plenty quick for me, i dont get a whole lot of highway miles in so its mostly city driving anyway. 4 door/ 2 door doesnt matter much. As of now i also dont plan on doing much modifications performance wise, however i plan on doing security system and sound system.

Ok with this noted heres some examples of what ive been looking at:

93-98 Ford Mustang (some GT)

93-99 Honda Prelude (some Si)

90-98 Mitsu Eclipse/Eagle Talon (GSX/Tsi)

97-99 Pontiac Grand Prix (GT/GTP)

93 Audi 90 s

90-95 Nissan Z's (300zx/240sx)

Of these listed, any opinions/comments? If not any recommendations noting guidlines above would be greatly appreciated.

93-98 Ford Mustang (some GT)

93-99 Honda Prelude (some Si)

90-98 Mitsu Eclipse/Eagle Talon (GSX/Tsi)

97-99 Pontiac Grand Prix (GT/GTP)

93 Audi 90 s

90-95 Nissan Z's (300zx/240sx)

a general rule in snow or slippery weather is that awd>fwd>rwd. that eliminates the mustang and Z cars. i am also personally wary of older german cars, so i *personally* wouldn't choose the Audi. i like DSMs, but i wouldn't make it my primary car. i'm not sure how old you are now, but the eclipse has a barely usable back seat, which might cause for some practicality problems. the pontiac is nice, but to me, it feels overweight and oversized, very boaty. i would personally choose the prelude. it is fwd, has ample power, good handling, and feels very solid but there have been known problems with the steptronic.

you said that you wanted an automatic AWD car. i would recommend a 2.5rs.

preludes are pretty awesome. look into maxima's too, 95-99 specifically.

the GTP is the only one thats also a step up in performance, you'll only be giving up a little in build quality and obviously age.

Of the ones listed, probably the Prelude (if it has the H22 VTEC) or the 300ZX. A Nissan Maxima would also be a good bet as it would probably drive a lot like the 6s.

prelude - if you can find an Si, that'd be nice, but some people ask a whole lot of money for the newer models. One of the lots here is selling a 2001 prelude Si automatic for $20,000 :O But it's so nicee in perfect condition....i'd love to own that thing

id say prelude or look into a maxima (mustangs and gtp's will be considerably faster then what u got and get crappy mileage)

you said that you wanted an automatic AWD car. i would recommend a 2.5rs.

Thanks for the input so far everyone, but to iceiso or anyone who can answer, im not familiar with this 2.5rs? Could anyone let me know about it?

Out of your list I'd have to say the GTP is the best bet. It's fast, looks good IMO, and the 3800 is bulletproof. Someone said something about the gas mileage in them, they get 18mpg City, and 28mpg highway. Other good choices are the Prelude or a Maxima.