I voted for the RSX, but before I get the third degree on how biased I am, I was actually considering voting for the Volkswagen and even the Neon (naw, me vote for a Dodge?) The simple fact the Neon has so much performance to offer for the price makes it very tempting. And Volkswagen has a pretty tight package with that 1.8T. Great build quality and fun to drive factor. But in in the end, German cars are holy terrors if something goes wrong. And most of the time only the dealers can work on them. And the Neon, while impressive on the pavement, is still a Neon. So my vote went to the RSX. Sacrifice on performance, but make it up with reliable, cheap maintainance and solid construction.