Let someone else take the depreciation hit and pick up something 2-3 years old with 10-30k miles on it. You'll probably still have some warrant, someone else will have had to deal with the initial problems, and you'll save a bundle.

I just got an Audi A4 quattro a few months back. It was a 2006 with 35k miles and I paid just over HALF of the initial sticker of $35. I love the car.

Look at 2007/2008 A4s if you want something sporty but still good on gas (it's a 2.0T engine and it's tried and true).