scottdawson wrote: Thanks for all the suggestions. I will look into all of the reasonable ones ;~) Did not realize the Mazda Speed 3 came with a LSD. What do you think of the Lexus CT 200h ? Isn't there a VW golf/rabbit with a LSD?.. the R32 I also forgot to mention that I am --only-- interested in cars with a manual transmission. - Scott
Lexus CT200h is going to be way out of your price range (starts around ~$32k IIRC), doesn't have a manual (CVT only) and will be the opposite of what I would refer to as "sporty".
The R32 is a great car, but no LSD. It's AWD, but only the 2004's come in a manual (2008 R32 = DSG only). The only crux is that both the 2004 & 2008 models are 2-door only. If you can deal with that, the last couple of times I drove a 2004 R32 I had a blast! Torquey VR6, decent gearbox, nice interior and a riot to pitch around for a daily!
I currently have a 2013 Golf R, which is the car that supersedes the R32. It's AWD, manual only and has a decent turbo 2.0L motor (underrated at 256hp, most companies dyno testing have revealed closer to ~270hp). It also comes with 4 doors (technically 5, but whose counting), a plush interior and I average 26-28mpg mixed driving (40% city/60% highway). The only thing is, like previous R32's it's limited production (only about 5000 "R" cars imported in 2004, 2008 & 2012/2013) and would be very tough to find anywhere close to the $20k mark.
However, prior to owning my Golf R I had a MK6 (2010-2013) VW GTI that was a blast to drive! It's FWD and does not have a true LSD though... it has an "eLSD" (VW calls it Cross Differential System or XDS), which basically uses the front brakes to simulate LSD lockup. Probably not the greatest weapon for track days, but it works great on the street. Either way, smooth 6MT available (or DSG, which is a bit faster, but less involving to drive), very good gas mileage, 3/5 doors available, underrated 200hp 2.0T (closer to ~220hp in reality), very upscale interior (optional moonroof), great steering feedback for a FWD car with electric power steering and a suspension that is a great compromise for mixing sport with comfort. If you feel like playing, a simple reflash on these cars bumps them to about ~250hp and aftermarket LSD's do exist. Again, for a dedicated track weapon there are better cars for the money, but this car is very good as a daily driver that just happens to be fun to drive.
Other cars that are worth noting:
-Mazdaspeed 3 for reasons noted above. The regular Mazda 3 actually drives pretty well if you're not looking for much power. Although no factory LSD.
-Subaru WRX- hatch, wagon or sedan. No LSD, but AWD. My wife has a '13 WRX sedan (I tried to talk her into the hatch, but she wouldn't budge!) and it's a decent car for the money. It checks all of your boxes if you can find one used under $20k. Although fuel economy isn't exactly stellar. I did always like the look of the older GD chassis (2002-2007) wagons.
-If you don't want the "boy racer" look of the WRX, there's always the Subaru Legacy GT, which I always thought of as a WRX for grown-ups (with lower insurance rates). Or the older Subaru Forester XT: same chassis/motor as WRX (slightly different factory tune), you can literally swap WRX suspension parts onto it for cheap and have a car that handles reasonably well for a wagon/SUV(ish thing).
-New Ford Focus ST (assuming you can get one around the $20k mark). Same reasons as the Mazdaspeed 3... although like the GTI, it only comes with "eLSD", not true mechanical LSD. I'm assuming it would work well on the street, but you would have to check and see if LSD's are available for them. The regular Ford Focus would meet most of your needs as well, but the ST adds a bit of fun factor to the equation.
-The already listed Civic Si and Acura TSX would work as well.
-Older Mazdaspeed Protege. FWD LSD, 4-doors, turbocharged, good gas mileage, fun to drive ect. It could save you quite a bit of money if you found one in good shape.
-Mazdaspeed 6. AWD, manual only, ~270hp (same motor as MS3), 4 doors, fun to drive, decent fuel economy, available moonroof and can be found well under the $20k mark. Back in the day, in 2006 I picked up a sport model MS6 brand new for $23k... they were never a very popular car, so they can be had on the cheap. Although, as time goes by, more and more people realized what they are and prices haven't dropped as much in recent years.
I know, I know, too many choices.... you may want to get out there and start taking a few of them for a spin. 
Good luck!
