DING! DING! DING! 
IF you want something with baller status, save up the extra cash and get a TL.
If you aren’t worried about bling, how about a 05 Subaru Legacy GT? It has the same 2.5 motor as the Impreza STi (slightly smaller turbo though). There’s a guy on another webboard who’s running high 13’s in the 1/4 with just exhaust, and his car is an AUTO. A stick would be even quicker. I’ve seen a few in the $17-18k price range. They’re really good looking cars too… better looking than a TSX IMHO. All these things plus the fact that it’s AWD = BIG, FRESH STEAMING PILE OF WIN. 