Hello,
I'm new to these forums and figured I'd ask for a public opinion after reading countless car reviews on several websites.
Anyway, I'm planning to buy a new car in December or shortly after and will have approximately $20,000 to spend (would prefer certified preowned or used with low mileage, just for a break on insurance, since it's a lot more for a brand new car). I'm looking for a good balance between looks, horsepower (~200+), gas mileage (since I work a full time job, go to college, and have to make some road trips as a DJ), size (small/compact coupe or sedan, since parking a big car is kind of rough in the streets of Chicago), and features (nice stereo or at best, navigation, sunroof, etc.). I have a slight preference for turbos, but only because one of my long time friends claimed they were more efficient (he owned a Grand National and later also bought a Subaru WRX the first year it came out and constantly tried to talk me into buying a '98 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX).
A few cars that I've been looking at are the '06 VW Jetta GLI, '06 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT, and a few others. I have a slightly stronger preference for imports, since I own a Mitsubishi Mirage, currently, and it has served me longer with less repairs than any of the domestic cars I previously owned.
I'm pretty open minded to what people have to say, so I'd appreciate any suggestions or comments about the choices I've listed or any additional suggestions for cars to consider.
(Oh yeah, and unfortunately, I can't drive manual, which is why I've already ruled out the WRX STi.
)