Getting a new car. Thank you grandma

Well today me my dad and my grandma were talking and she said before she passes she wants me in a newer safer and more reliable car and she feels that the firebird dosent fit that mold. So in talking today she instructed me to sell my firebird and whatever i get for that shes going to throw $7K on top of so i can go and get a newer nicer car. Well i was only looking at base model newer cars because i diodent want to go get a preformance car but she told me to get what makes me happy. So after a long and grueling battel with my dad over letting me get a stick shift he finaly gave in and said as long as i dont get a car with a V8 or V6 he will let me get a manual car. Now this time around i dident want a big engine car i want somthing small and either turbocharged or super charged and i have narrowed it down to 2 options

1, Is an SRT-4 theres a few in my price range with semi low miles on them 40K and a little above. There all within my price range but my only detter from them is the fact that most of them were drivin by kids our age who went and beat the hell out of them.

2, S/C Cobalt SS. there are a lot of these in my price range many of them with under 20K miles all in great shape and a few of them have that flashey red and black leather interior.

What you all think? Im not going to buy and SRT-4 for the cool factor. Im going to say right now I wont be building either of them up or racing them.