Car Buying Decision: RSX vs. Celica vs. Tiburon

[Bagheera]

I'm getting a new car at the end of this year. I'm gathering opinions now.
I want a car that has good acceleration and excellent handling. Something with some decent storage space and a smooth ride but still has fast pickup and a "sporty" feel. And it has to be priced between 20 and 25k. And one last detail: this will be my first manual-transmission car, so I need a clutch that can handle some abuse.
I've narrowed my choices down to the Toyota Celica, Acura RSX, and Hyundai Tiburon.

I like the Celica because it's a trusted and reliable make and model. If I keep up the maintenance, it will probably go ten years without a problem. It also has an incredibly smooth ride-almost too smooth. I test drove a Celica earlier today, and I could barely tell the difference between 60 and 100 miles per hour. I would have enjoyed it more if I could "feel" the extra speed. The other down note on the Celica is the poor visibility. The side and rear windows are so tiny that changing lanes is an act of faith.

The RSX is my current favorite of the bunch. The S-Type has the most horsepower and best acceleration of all three cars, and Car and Driver rated #1 in a comparison with the Celica, Tiburon, Turbo Beetle, and Eclipse. However, while the Celica looks like a race car, the RSX looks like a family sedan. It's nice, but it's definitely not sexy. And it costs several thousand dollars more than the Tiburon or the Celica.

The Tiburon is my budget car. A fully loaded Tiburon GT costs less than a base model RSX. It also has the best warranty, and it's by far the best-looking of the three. However, it's also the smallest (no storage space) and weakest of the three (though it has adequate horsepower for my needs).

Alright, what's your pick?

[del]

is this the rsx type s and celica gt-s we're speaking of? i agree that the rsx isn't what you'd call sexy, but i think it's easily the best car out of the three. the tiburon looks nice, but unfortunately that's all it has going for it. the celica, i'm neither impressed nor disappointed. let's say i'd never buy one.

with its sweet-ass 6 speed gearbox, top-notch quality, awesome seats, and decent performance, albeit an ugly duck, i'd choose the acura. throw some nice wheels and a decent body kit, the stock look can be fixed.

[Polygon]

Looks: RSX Type S.

Performance: Celica GTS.

Poor performance and gas mileage: Tiburon.

[NISSANSPDR]

Not liking any of these...I would have to give my bet to the RSX Type S cuz you know there IS mad aftermarket support and plenty of choices to go w/

[Paonessa]

look into the srt-4 neon.

[MattyG]

If it were me I'd go for the RSX. What about an SRT-4 or WRX (base under 25K US (?))

[edonis]

I'd either chose the Hyundai or the Celica. The hyundai is very cheap, and looks great.. It's a coupe, so you really can't expect that much storage.. put your groceries in the back seats, you won't fit a person in there anyways Come to think of it, I actually read a comparison test between the Tiburon and Porsche Boxter..

The Hyundai actually won, but that was probably taking the price into consideration.. Great car anyways..

[Neutrino]

Originally posted by Polygon
Looks: RSX Type S.

Performance: Celica GTS.

Poor performance and gas mileage: Tiburon.

agreed

[Paonessa]

i drive a 4 door family(sport)sedan and i laid a whoopin on all of these cars (the celica gave me the best challenge) and my whip cost me $8500 2 years ago, it's got lots of trunk space and it's 5 speed. i would look into a few alternatives if i were you
i'd rather have a 2001-ish car (or older in my case) with lots of options than a base model 2k3 anything. new doesn't always mean it's the best.
then again that's just my opinion.
i'm a big nissan fan so i would say look into the altima and se-r sentra
the neon as i mentioned before is getting great reviews and like someone else mentioned the wrx is an excellent car for it's price.