i would definitely get the acura. make sure you do a title search on it to find out about any accidents it may have been in though. i have a 99 integra and i LOVE it. my husband wants me to sell it so we can get a new car and i dont wanna get rid of it! i told him that if he wants a new car, he can sell his...lol. btw, i read consumer reports a lot and the integra consistently scores well (well, scored well, since it is no longer made). it is always in the list of "used cars best bets" too. if you take care of it, it will take care of you. i cant say the same for the mercury you now have...with that, id worry about having to put too much money into it to maintain it. defintely go with the integra...or even a honda civic (practically the same car except for the body...but i got even better gas mileage with the civic than with my integra, though my integra does get great gas mileage too). oh, btw, it does cost a little more to buy parts for the acura than the civic because it is an acura...which is kinda stupid since every part under the hood says honda...lol...