Fun commuter car

There are a few options. First off, the obvious Honda Accord - decent commuter car and what many people describe as good handling and power. I, personally, think the Accord is mediocre at best for both of those. Overall good appliance car, but hardly interesting. The Civic is better, still not great - but itmight be a bit tight for five.

There's a few other ones that come to mind in the fun-to-drive-but-still-sensible coupe class. The Kia Forte comes to mind. Properly powerful, and has some useful gadgets in it like USB and 120V power on some models. It isn't too spacious in the back - it might run into the same problem as the civic.

The Nissan Altima is decent, but all recent Nissans I've driven feel fairly cheap and lackluster. Sure, it does relatively large amounts of power, but it seems like the engineers thought a large engine was sufficient to cover up large amounts of noise, poor interiors, and mediocre ride quality. Still, it has potential. Worth a drive.

Available as a sedan or a wagon, an Acura TSX could be a very good fit.

Used Infiniti G37s are selling for fairly low prices. It is available as a coupe, though these will be harder to find under $20,000. Main downside is meh fuel economy.

The Scion tC could be a good budget option. Not nearly as luxurious as the other two, but a solid, reliable, arguably stylish car that should be very reliable.