[ToxSocks]

I just purchased a "new to me" vehicle last week after almost two months of shopping and research.

I would steer away from the Jetta and the Galant. From what i've gathered, the Mitsu will start showing its age sooner than later. It's the cheapest build quality of those you listed.

I really liked the VW's....then i did my research. They're apparently very underpowered for the weight of the car, and they cheaped out the quality of that generation of Jetta compared to years past in order to slot it below their new Passat and CC.

Couple that with the fact that VW's are more expensive to maintain than their American or Jap counterparts, i ruled it out.

Of the cars you listed, the Ford Focus has by far the best reviews. I was very close to purchasing one, even though i can't stand the idea of driving a Focus. It's just a thing i have against the Focus, but from everything i can find, it's suppose to be an outstanding car.

It comes loaded with tech features, has good quality reviews and is supposedly a blast to drive with a good, peppy motor and agile handling.

IIRC, the Focus is the top rated compact car in the market right now, even beating out long time favorites like the Civic and Corolla.

The Mitsu and the VW however, are near the bottom of their class.

I would recommend he look into a 2009+ Mazda 6, though.

The Mazda 6 is safe, affordable, stylish and sporty. From the research i did, it's the best new-ish car you can find around 10K. From a performance & reliabilty standpoint, it shits all over the VW and Galant.

I almost pulled the trigger on one, but opted for a CX-7 instead (more space to hall shit in).