I ordered a 2006 accord EX-L with Navi 4cyl in a 5 speed manual. (had to
order because NO ONE had a 5 speed 4cyl with a navi) I was comming from a
2001 maxima SE (also a stick) so I looked at a bunch of cars here are my
thoughts.

> Cars I'm also considering:
>
> Nissan Altima
looked at the altima in my search, tough to find as a stick but drove my
aunts 05 auto. it was ok, but I really think they priced themselves out of
this group. to get all the things I got in the honda it woudl of cost me
over 30,000. (to add navigation you have to add all these other packages,
might not be your case if your going without nav)
> Nissan Maxima
like I said I owned a 2001 Maxima SE. I LOVED that car. I got rid of it
because I could only get an average of 22-23 mpg out of it and it needed
premium (I knwo it doesn't NEED premium, but after using 1 tank of regular,
I'd never use anything else in it) I don't like the new ones (04-present)
after driving one I was disappointed what nissan did to this car after the
03 model year. I just think the altima (same size car, same engine) is a
better buy (but still too expensive vs the competition)
> Toyota Camry
I can probably sum this up in 1 word, boring. the car does what you need it
to do, good on gas, reliable, but it's just plain looking and not that fun
to drive.
> Subaru Forester XT
never drove one so I really can't comment.

I also drove a Jetta TDI and 2.5. VW did some wierd things, my brother
girlfriend got a 2005.5 (05 but newer body style) and it's nice, problem is
when looking for an 06 they took OUT a bunch fo things (no auto climate
control, no heated wiper nozzles and mirrors as well as the trip computer)
and it was mroe expensive than the 2005.5 counterpart. but now if you look
at VW's site, they DO come with automatic climate control doesn't make
sense. the TDI version I dorve I had a ball in, I spun tires
(unintentionally mind you) in both 1st and 2nd gear. that thing just took
off the line. then you look and the car says 100hp and you can't believe it
(yes 100 HP but a HELL of a lot of torque, low end torque) but with the gas
prices where they were, they were selling the TDI's for sticker, wern't
moving on them at all, so I decided to pass becuase I refuse to pay sticker
for a car.

Mazda 3
I drove both the base model and the S model. the base model was just that
basic. VERY stripped, had manual mirrors, windows and seats, I was shocked
when I got in it. but it is cheap and good on gas, and was pretty fun to
drive. when I stepped into the S model it was a world of difference. more
responsive engine (at some sacrafice of gas mileage) but power everything.
Cd changer, moonroof and sattelite radio.

after driving all these cars I decided to go with the honda because of gas
mileage, reliability, and overall value (fully loaded 4 cyl with a 5 speed
stick and navigation for 24,800) no one else can touch that. the ONLY
problem I have is that honda, who say "safety for everyone" apparently think
traction control is only for V6 powered cars. I dont' understand why it's
not even an option on 4 cyl models. sorry for the long post I hope any of
this helps, keep in mind this is just my opinion, best advice I can give is
Drive Drive Drive and research research research. good luck to ya!

-Nick
>