Only 2 choices IMHO, that would be Mazda 3 or Golf. Won't be beaten on quality and both are great fun to drive and the 3 is available as a true sedan as opposed to a hatch.
I'm on my 2nd one having updated from sp23 to sp25 and I've got say its got the best brakes of any reasonably priced road car that I've driven
as a bonus you won't have any warranty problems with either Mazda or VW, they just don't break or have stuff fall off.
That's my $20k's worth
