My take on compacts...not in any order.
Mini-a poor mans BMW, very unique.
Miata- too cute-sy looking
Mazda3- one of the top compacts but oddly proportioned and tiny backseat.
Solstice-beautiful roadster, excellent price. a bit more feminine then SKY
2008 Astra-very euro inspired interior, excellent looks but questionable interior
Rabbit-eh...reminds me of a typical teen car
Civic- very unique styling inside and out, excellent overall but takes time getting used to.
2008 Lancer-much improved over previous gens. very sporty look, well priced
Sentra- typical "shift 2.0" styling, much better then previous model
HHR-pulls off retro well with modern interior. a bit slow with base engine but overall excellent value
Vibe-eh...its a toyota in costume...and its slow
Cobalt- better looking then ion and gauges in correct place but thats it. SS rocks though
tC-excellent value but will go down as rice boy car
New Beetle-still stands out in the crowd with unique features
Tiburon-great car for tyhe price but has a hyundai badge which downgrades it unfortunatelly
2008 Impreza- mini japanese sebring styling...not much opinion
2008 xB-looses nasty box design, better but still odd. best standard features for the money
Elantra- dull
PT Cruiser-still cool no matter what. base engine a bit slow...interior was better quality pre 06
Caliber- ok...just ok with a few unique features
2008 Focus-yuck yuck yuck! worse then an 03 ion
Spectra-no comment
Corolla-old boring and bland but still sells well
Ion- ugly yet has inspired many designs in cars...odd but true.