Eric, I've driven the my friend's Altima and its not too bad.

I also went and drove a 2011 Hyundai Sonata today and spent all day yesterday in a 2010 Mazda3. Of the three cars, the Mazda is my favorite to drive.

Of those, which have you seen as being the most reliable/ being the cheapest to own?

Are there similar deals to be had on the Hyundai and Mazda as there are for the Nissan? Is it possible to get any of these three cars with upgraded packages (leather, nav, alloy wheels, etc) while still keeping the price around $15-18k while keeping the mileage under 40k?

Appreciate all the help as always. I have pretty much made up my mind that this will be a "work car" but I would still enjoy retaining a few of the creature comforts if possible. I get reimbursed $400 a month by my company for my car, so I can keep the payments between $250-$325, I wind up with a decent chunk of change in my pocket every month.

You just arent driving them right.... My corrado was tons of fun, but totally different from my 944, you have to approach a corner dIfferently in each, but both are fun.

Take a look at a 2010 Altima. Typical optioned up, 50k to 65k miler's run $12-15,000. We've had ricer's in the family (Maxima's) but next time stepping down a notch. The Maxima is really jacked price as the Altima now stepped up and covers all the bases. Terrific reliable appliance with a bang for the buck. Far from imitating a 3 series or small class Audi but beat the crap out of them, they don't break. Hate to admit it, but speaking from experience. Plus, when you have 200,000 miles on it, there's always buyers in line to buy these things... go figure.

Of the Japanese makers, I think Mazda does the best job of balancing fun with practical. Call them the Japanese BMW. I've driven multiple Altimas as rentals, they are solid cars but not very inspiring to drive.