Little cars, little cars are everywhere...

I went looking for new automobiles after work today. I drove several different ones, and liked all of them. That could be a problem. I drove the following 4 cars today, in no particular order: a 2006 Kia Rio5, a 2006 Kia Spectra5, a 2006 Ford Focus ZX3, and a 2005 Ford Focus ST sedan.

Ranking in order of my LIKING (only of the models I drove):

1. Ford Focus ST sedan - well built, fun as hell to drive, superb motor vs the rest of these, and a used car (I like a car that has some of the kinks worked out)
2. Kia Spectra5 - well built, fun as hell to drive.
3. Ford Focus ZX3 - well, it was the only automatic I drove, and I don't like automatics (BORING) - also only a 3 door, not good for my friends, I don't like having to move a seat to let them sit in the back.
4. Kia Rio5 - bigger inside than I thought it would be, but fitting more than 2 friends would be a trick because anyone taller than me would have to take the front seat and would most likely move the seat back to an uncomfortable location.

Ranking in order of my CHOICE (this includes pricing information):
1. Ford Focus ZX5-I did not drive one of these today, but it is basically the ZX3 with 2 more doors. More like the Kia Spectra5. Currently goes for about $14500 with the rebates that are on until the end of this month.
2. Kia Spectra5-well built, fun as hell to drive, just the car I am actually looking for (very similar to the ZX5). Only problem is its current price ($700 in rebates to the end of the month) going for about $16750.
3. Kia Rio5-great mileage (about 38 highway, 29 city vs 34/35 highway, 26/28 city for the Focus ZX5 and Spectra5), NO CRUISE CONTROL is a major downer for me though. Goes for about $14500 all the time (never any rebates).
4. Ford Focus ST sedan-well, I liked driving it, but I don't want a sedan, I want the cargo space of the hatchback. I'm so used to my F150 that I don't think I could do without the flexibility to carry something larger than a TV in my vehicle.

I looked at several options on the web, but the one that keeps coming up tops is the Ford Focus...so, if I had to buy one today, I would go with the ZX5 (but man, that Spectra5 was fun and a little more sporty looking).

But back to the reviews that I've found on the web, the Focus keeps coming up in the top 5, often times #1 in reviews for best buys for the dollar amount (actually surprising that an American company came up with a well valued compact car). The Spectra5 barely makes the list of 32, so that pushes the Focus over the top for the time being. We'll see how things go over the next month or so (if they pull out something where there are huge rebates still for one or the other, it may swing my purchase).

Oh, that's the thing. This car purchase hinges on my job search. If I get the new job, I will be buying a new car once I get into a new place to live. If I don't get the new job, well, there's always next year! :)