[MattBear]

volvos are european btw.

Here's my list, and yes its got euro cars in it anyways.

V6 Accord
Mk4 1.8t GTI/Jetta/GLI
early 2000's LS1 Camaro/TA/Firebird
Volvo 850GLT
any 3 series BMW (e30/e36) - of the bunch thus far, best choice for longevity, comfort, driving excitement....
Infiniti G20 -SR20 motor, just facing the wrong way
6spd v6 altima - not bad but notchy gears even NEW.
2000/1 Impreza RS
WRX's - but they have weak 5spds

honestly you've got a lot of options if you open up to the idea of a european car as well. CONTRARY to popular belief they arent THAT unreliable, or expensive to fix. My Yetta is beyond 205k miles.... and its never left me stranded.... even with a list the length of my left leg of broken equipment (fuel pump, FPR, Fuel Rail, ISV, MAF, ETC.) that being said my car prior to my owning was poorly maintained, and i havent even so much as changed the damn oil.... and she runs well enough to get me to work. so if you spend the money to buy a clean, well kept euro car, you'll be ok.

But IMO, you will find tons of good options from our european buddies. They understand driving feel, and have a SUPERB aftermarket, but lack the theft rate of hondas. If you wanted something that would REALLY be fun, i'd buy a 1998 GTI Vr6 with low miles (say about 4500-6k) then spend the remainder of your 10k on a set of coilovers, and a vortech supercharger. Clean, quick, fun, KILLER aftermarket * WONT GET STOLEN LIKE A CIVIC *

Good luck, and glad to see you're moving on from the corolla.