OK out of the civic v corolla
Civic would likely be quicker however parts are more expensive and it will use more petrol. Furthermore there are less around so less haggle room on the price.
For that money though consider 2000 ish: ford laser and focus, VW golf (seen for $15K). If you want more street cred then a late nineties Honda integra or mitsibushi FTO is a good buy.
Look for: DOHC head, fuel consumption at 8-9L/100km, aprox 100,000km, straight body, clean interior.
Things to avoid: high milage, ex-p-plater car, anything that looks like it's been thrashed.
Don't base the decision on a cd player you can pick up some pretty good ones from $100 (VDO CD 138 on sale at autobarn) and have them installed for about $50. So be aware that a dealer may well chuck several hundred extra on for a sound system inferior to what you can get (with no hassle) for aprox $150-$200.