[Miscguy]

Civic: Bland, labeled as instant rice; even stock, every two blocks you'll see 3, good commuter car but not much for a driving enthusist.

Mazda 3: Good little car, looks ok and has some get up and go when you get on it. Stick is obviously prefered, though the auto does come with the "manual" mode; which has some slow smooth shifts.

Scion TC: I know little about this car other than its a Toyota sub division and god damn can Toyota make a bullet proof engine. Looks sharp stock and has some neat little features to it, like the availible "all glass" roof.

Camry: Unless your 30+ its not what your looking for unless you want a "boat" of a car. Well built and runs well but it is a fairly large FAMILY sedan.

Honestly, i'd go for the Scion Tc. Granted i would test drive all of them before commiting to one. Also, if you feel none have the juice your looking for. Remember most have upgrade versions. I believe there is a MazdaSpeed version of the 3, and a Supercharger is availible for the Tc. Though it is aftermarket via TRD.