2011 Subaru Impreza WRX 4dr Sedan AWD (2.5L 4cyl Turbo 5M)
First the good: This car is a lot of fun when the snow starts to fly. Living in MN this was important to me. The all wheel drive in the WRX never disappoints. I run General's winter tire and if anything the grip is too good even with traction control turned off. The bad: In the first year two bearings failed (throw-out and transfer). For summer driving the suspension is too soft. The seats lack lateral support, you slide all over the place. The dead pedal is too small (size 10 shoe). Pedals are too close together and your knee will hit the steering column when left foot braking. Front fascia will crack very easily ($750 to fix). Paint chips easily. 5 speed shifter is very clunky.
You can't get a new AWD car with this much power for under under $26,000 so the value is very good. Or at least you couldn't in 2011. Bluetooth connectivity is great and the steering wheel controls work well. Again, it's a really fun car in the winter months but to be honest I don't care for it in the summer, the stock tires may be somewhat at fault here though. A set of Bridgstone RE11's would likely make a world of difference.
My $19K 2008 Civic Si Sedan had a 6 speed, I mean come on? Better quality front fascia or a re-design that is less likely to crack. Transmission bearings that don't fail would be nice although I have not heard of this happening to any other '11 WRX. Perhaps I just got a bad one. Better side bolstering on the seats. The car corners far too hard for these seats. Wipers are horrible as are the low and high beams. Long story short, if you're REALLY want a performance vehicle spend an extra $150/mo and buy the STI.