I’m sorry but was the PT Cruiser in there supposed to make me laugh or are you being genuine?
R18honda
The Civic Si Hatch or the Acura RSX
BcuzRacecar
Hmm if the rsx was a type S it would be so easy but if not then Im leaning subaru. But I mean if wrx was an option so should the type S
Headstar24
Si for sure.
falcon_driver
Miata is always the answer
Dj_Simon
subie
rxmp4ge
I remember being on the car forums around this time and EVERYONE had SRT-4s. They were incredibly popular for like 5 years and then they all vanished…
Now I see one once or twice a year, maybe.
Ky_furt01
As a former Focus owner… I pick the Focus.
chonkin-donuts
Golf mk4, 150 hp is plenty for that small of a car plus you can convert it to run on mpg as well as petrol, so you essentialy cut the cost to drive it in half, and lastly, gorgeous.
RightToTheThighs
Honestly I like most of them.
Remote-Factor8455
I’m taking the Neon SRT4 for the fast af 0-60.
seejaypeete
I’d test drive the celica and rsx and make my mind up.
juicymelon2000
Maybe the RSX or the Celica GT-S. Maybe it’s just my soft-spot for sporty late-90’s/early-2000’s fwd high-revers kicking in but I don’t think I would’ve found as much sheer driving enjoyment if I would’ve picked the WRX or the SRT4.
SpinningYarmulke
At least a clean RDX will provide you reliable transportation and a fairly entertaining driving experience.
GreaseGeek
We still drive our 2003 Civic Si
donny321123
Subaru is best
MadMaxine1985
I would choose the Civic SI. I love this bodystyle and the weird shifter placement.
Emerald_official
bro if this is in 2003 all of this would’ve been new, that ain’t affordable dawg
epicwheezer
The styling on the Civic has aged very, very well — probably because there’s not much to it. Still, I think they look awesome. I was an A/V tech at the D.C. auto show the year they rolled those out, and I got to drive one from the trailer into the arena. Haven’t stopped wanting one since that day.
1337hxr
The Saturn will outlast all of these (well, maybe except the Civic) even after it’s been raced and daily driven by teenagers.
Sharion_inuyatt
**The PT Cruiser**
derSchwamm11
I chose the Mazdaspeed Protege and I still drive it today… I haven’t found another car I enjoy driving more than it. Lots of great options here but the Protege has to win it!!
rocketbosszach
The redline or the subie
Beneficial-Sugar6950
GTI
Beneficial-Sugar6950
GTI
hamorhead
I hate dodge but give me the SRT-4
Wolfgangsta702
GTI
Nigatron420
Celica GT-S 😍 although I wish it was a 2000 instead, the lift kicks in a little quicker
Slow_Switch_6113
Impreza WRX
243898990
Ahhh the boy racer era 😮💨 I’d probably go with the wrx due to living on the east coast
Liquidwombat
Most of these cars are fantastic, but the Celica is the correct answer
Calkky
It’s a push between the WRX and Neon. The Neon was such a revelation when it came out: cheap, loud, incredibly quick. The WRX was almost equally-exciting. It was basically the first time we got one of the cool Japanese models that the rest of the world had been enjoying for years.
I think I’d take the WRX simply because it was better in the snow. But I have fond memories of that crazy Neon.
no-pog
I currently own an 04 SVTF. It has been an absolute peach. The chassis is phenomenal, the brakes are excellent, and the close ratio 6 speed is a work of art. It’s light and nimble, the steering is truly incredible. The interior is quite good for early 00s Ford… the seats are excellent, everything is well placed, pedals are close, and it’s a hatchback so it has tons of space. It revs to 7500rpm, and loves it. Plenty of torque off the line too. Very reliable engine with a few fixes, namely the thermostat housing. It also gets 30mpg on the highway, though it does spin at 3k going ~68 mph. All that said, it’s really lacking some power. It has about 170hp, it really needs about 225, the car would be just about perfected with a supercharger at 7-10lbs of boost. Great car.
_Eucalypto_
As much as I like EP3s, I have to go with the SRT-4 here. I can’t say no to the fastest fwd/fastest 4 cylinder/fastest under $25k vehicle in the world
WealthWithoutWork
I’d try the Mazda
Peterkragger
Sentra, mostly for the 6 speed gearbox
Signal_RR
RSX or GTI
No_Bat7157
PT cruiser or the Celica leaning a tiny bit more towards the cruiser
Ilikejdmcars
Bugeye wrx or rsx but it has to be the type s
TheMannX
Civic Si: Not bad but not enough of an improvement to justify the price tag over a base model. Practical and reliable and endless aftermarket support, though. 6.5/10.
Focus SVT: Cheap and cheerful, handles well, good aftermarket support. Reliability is not a strong suit. Compared to the Civic it’s rowdier but tamer than the rest of the options. 6/10.
Celica: Cool looking, quicker than some of the cars on the list, out handles most of them. Expensive to buy and maintain but reliability is a plus. Aftermarket support is weak, and theft is a concern. 7.5/10.
Impreza WRX: The turbocharged Subaru finally lands in North America! VERY quick, superb traction and good handling, four-door practicality. Fairly pricey, reliability isn’t bad but not great. 8.5/10.
Sentra SE-R: Sticky tires, monochrome paint and a six-speed manual can’t disguse this thing being an econobox. Not the worst thing to drive but not the best. Cheap and reliable though. 5.75/10.
PT Cruiser: Not the worst from a practicality perspective, very fast, but poorly made, not particularly reliable or cheap and downright ugly. Easy to fix if something breaks. But it’s still a PT Cruiser. 3/10.
Mazdaspeed Protege: Looks cool, very fun to drive, fairly reliable. Parts can be expensive. Aftermarket support is average, but the stock driving setup is really good. Practicality is a plus. 7.5/10.
RSX: Great looking, absolutely bulletproof when maintained properly, very good to drive. A bit sluggish compared to some others here, though. Still, it’s a worthy Integra successor. But WHERE IS OUR TYPE R?!? 8/10.
Neon SRT-4: $*#!ing fast, scary to drive at full boost. Chrysler reliability is awful, interior is garbage, but it’s ludicrously fast for the price. Practicality is a strong suit, and if you like your cars raw and scary this is your ride right here. 6.5/10.
Golf GTI: Slow compared to some here and expensive to buy and maintain, but just about everything else works in its favor. It drives great, practical, looks good and is reliable. There are many worse options. 7.25/10.
Ion Red Line: Another in the cheap and cheerful category, but this runs away from the other cheap options. Interior quality is the pits but it’s surprisingly practical and durable for a GM product. Slow compared to the SRT-4 and unrefined compared to many of the others but you could do worse. 6/10.
![Saw my first [Lucid Air Sapphire] while cruising. Are they worth the price tag?](https://www.evshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ku1se9vk4l1d1-770x515.jpeg "Saw my first [Lucid Air Sapphire] while cruising. Are they worth the price tag?")
![Toyota Celica 6th Gen [2048x1365]](https://www.evshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/i13d1byr0l1d1-770x515.jpeg "Toyota Celica 6th Gen [2048×1365]")
40 Comments
I’m sorry but was the PT Cruiser in there supposed to make me laugh or are you being genuine?
The Civic Si Hatch or the Acura RSX
Hmm if the rsx was a type S it would be so easy but if not then Im leaning subaru. But I mean if wrx was an option so should the type S
Si for sure.
Miata is always the answer
subie
I remember being on the car forums around this time and EVERYONE had SRT-4s. They were incredibly popular for like 5 years and then they all vanished…
Now I see one once or twice a year, maybe.
As a former Focus owner… I pick the Focus.
Golf mk4, 150 hp is plenty for that small of a car plus you can convert it to run on mpg as well as petrol, so you essentialy cut the cost to drive it in half, and lastly, gorgeous.
Honestly I like most of them.
I’m taking the Neon SRT4 for the fast af 0-60.
I’d test drive the celica and rsx and make my mind up.
Maybe the RSX or the Celica GT-S. Maybe it’s just my soft-spot for sporty late-90’s/early-2000’s fwd high-revers kicking in but I don’t think I would’ve found as much sheer driving enjoyment if I would’ve picked the WRX or the SRT4.
At least a clean RDX will provide you reliable transportation and a fairly entertaining driving experience.
We still drive our 2003 Civic Si
Subaru is best
I would choose the Civic SI. I love this bodystyle and the weird shifter placement.
bro if this is in 2003 all of this would’ve been new, that ain’t affordable dawg
The styling on the Civic has aged very, very well — probably because there’s not much to it. Still, I think they look awesome. I was an A/V tech at the D.C. auto show the year they rolled those out, and I got to drive one from the trailer into the arena. Haven’t stopped wanting one since that day.
The Saturn will outlast all of these (well, maybe except the Civic) even after it’s been raced and daily driven by teenagers.
**The PT Cruiser**
I chose the Mazdaspeed Protege and I still drive it today… I haven’t found another car I enjoy driving more than it. Lots of great options here but the Protege has to win it!!
The redline or the subie
GTI
GTI
I hate dodge but give me the SRT-4
GTI
Celica GT-S 😍 although I wish it was a 2000 instead, the lift kicks in a little quicker
Impreza WRX
Ahhh the boy racer era 😮💨 I’d probably go with the wrx due to living on the east coast
Most of these cars are fantastic, but the Celica is the correct answer
It’s a push between the WRX and Neon. The Neon was such a revelation when it came out: cheap, loud, incredibly quick. The WRX was almost equally-exciting. It was basically the first time we got one of the cool Japanese models that the rest of the world had been enjoying for years.
I think I’d take the WRX simply because it was better in the snow. But I have fond memories of that crazy Neon.
I currently own an 04 SVTF. It has been an absolute peach. The chassis is phenomenal, the brakes are excellent, and the close ratio 6 speed is a work of art. It’s light and nimble, the steering is truly incredible. The interior is quite good for early 00s Ford… the seats are excellent, everything is well placed, pedals are close, and it’s a hatchback so it has tons of space. It revs to 7500rpm, and loves it. Plenty of torque off the line too. Very reliable engine with a few fixes, namely the thermostat housing. It also gets 30mpg on the highway, though it does spin at 3k going ~68 mph. All that said, it’s really lacking some power. It has about 170hp, it really needs about 225, the car would be just about perfected with a supercharger at 7-10lbs of boost. Great car.
As much as I like EP3s, I have to go with the SRT-4 here. I can’t say no to the fastest fwd/fastest 4 cylinder/fastest under $25k vehicle in the world
I’d try the Mazda
Sentra, mostly for the 6 speed gearbox
RSX or GTI
PT cruiser or the Celica leaning a tiny bit more towards the cruiser
Bugeye wrx or rsx but it has to be the type s
Civic Si: Not bad but not enough of an improvement to justify the price tag over a base model. Practical and reliable and endless aftermarket support, though. 6.5/10.
Focus SVT: Cheap and cheerful, handles well, good aftermarket support. Reliability is not a strong suit. Compared to the Civic it’s rowdier but tamer than the rest of the options. 6/10.
Celica: Cool looking, quicker than some of the cars on the list, out handles most of them. Expensive to buy and maintain but reliability is a plus. Aftermarket support is weak, and theft is a concern. 7.5/10.
Impreza WRX: The turbocharged Subaru finally lands in North America! VERY quick, superb traction and good handling, four-door practicality. Fairly pricey, reliability isn’t bad but not great. 8.5/10.
Sentra SE-R: Sticky tires, monochrome paint and a six-speed manual can’t disguse this thing being an econobox. Not the worst thing to drive but not the best. Cheap and reliable though. 5.75/10.
PT Cruiser: Not the worst from a practicality perspective, very fast, but poorly made, not particularly reliable or cheap and downright ugly. Easy to fix if something breaks. But it’s still a PT Cruiser. 3/10.
Mazdaspeed Protege: Looks cool, very fun to drive, fairly reliable. Parts can be expensive. Aftermarket support is average, but the stock driving setup is really good. Practicality is a plus. 7.5/10.
RSX: Great looking, absolutely bulletproof when maintained properly, very good to drive. A bit sluggish compared to some others here, though. Still, it’s a worthy Integra successor. But WHERE IS OUR TYPE R?!? 8/10.
Neon SRT-4: $*#!ing fast, scary to drive at full boost. Chrysler reliability is awful, interior is garbage, but it’s ludicrously fast for the price. Practicality is a strong suit, and if you like your cars raw and scary this is your ride right here. 6.5/10.
Golf GTI: Slow compared to some here and expensive to buy and maintain, but just about everything else works in its favor. It drives great, practical, looks good and is reliable. There are many worse options. 7.25/10.
Ion Red Line: Another in the cheap and cheerful category, but this runs away from the other cheap options. Interior quality is the pits but it’s surprisingly practical and durable for a GM product. Slow compared to the SRT-4 and unrefined compared to many of the others but you could do worse. 6/10.