Car Shopping

The time has come for me to get a new car. I currently own a 97 Mazda Protege that has over 100k miles on it. I have been doing lots of research online and getting price quotes from local dealerships through email. Within the last 2 weeks I have test driven a 2008 Ford Focus, Nissan Versa, Mazda 3 and a 2009 Toyota Corolla. My favorite so far is the Mazda. Oddly enough it was the first car I drove. Controls for wipers, lights etc are in the same places as my car. It was very comfortable to drive, and a nice quiet ride. I did notice that it was easy to quickly be over the speed limit because it accelerates so smoothly I didn't hear the shift changes as much. Next I drove the Focus, which was running for a great price. This year Ford has added a lot of cool extra features to the Focus. If you get the SES it has the Microsoft Sync system, which is a hands-free voice recognition system. I have to say this is a really awesome idea, however it seemed a little over-the-top for a car like the Focus. More important features like comfortable seats, location of the shifter stick and emergency brake were lacking. Last night I drove the2009 Toyota Corolla which has been re-vamped this year. I really like the look of it on the outside, and it drove pretty smooth too. The seats weren't the most comfortable, and I don't think any of my tall friends would have enough head room. Toyota is a reliable company, and the Corolla gets great gas mileage which is a huge benefit of late. The Nissan Versa is a sporty little car. It was smooth to drive and had quite a bit of getup and go. When sitting in it, I felt I was higher than in any of the other cars. I not only liked the look of the hatchback, but I also felt I could see out the back better. Overall I liked it a lot, and I've had several people recommend this local dealership. The low price makes it very tempting even though I like the Mazda best.
I'm finding that this decision isn't as easy as I thought it could be. Thinking about all the different aspects of buying a new car has been somewhat stressful, and I can't wait for it to be over. However it is fun to drive all these different cars! :)