Yeah if you're looking for speed, go with a manual one, and they can hold their own pretty well. It's not the hp, it's the torque plus relatively low weight. You can bolt a turbo on for like $3-4 grand and keep up with lots of stuff, while still having a relatively "cheap" ride. I realize 3-4 grand is a lot, but the things only cost like $13K brand new to begin with, so $17,000 car that spanks Mustang GTs? Yes, please.