[DanielDD]

Have you considered a Miata? They are plentiful, cheap to operate, highly reliable and simply a blast to drive. We have had 6 of them in the past (a 93, a 97, 2 99s, an 01 and an 06).

 

[DanielDD]

What about the Mazda 3 ? They are quite reliable and drive rather well for a small car. They are not quite as popular as the Civic, but around here the Civic is the most "riced" out car around. The Mazda 3, on the other hand don't seem to suffer the same fate.

Also, the insurance on the Civic may be higher due to them getting stolen so often…

YMMV.