Another first car post, $9k max, considering 05 Subaru Legacy 2.5GT

So I'm a 20 year old college student, I've had a sizable amount of money put away for awhile I never needed to use(scholarships). I haven't owned a car of my own(mainly because I don't want to pay insurance when I never needed it, I live on campus), but since I picked up an internship for the summer I'm going to need some of my own wheels.

Like I said, $9k is the max, $8k is more of what I'm aiming for. I'm not too picky, here are my musts:

1.) Reliable/Low Maintenance

2.) Reasonably good looks

3.) Interior better than what early 2000's American cars provided(I'm a sucker for a decent interior)

And some bonuses

1.) Little bit of power is welcomed(around 200hp)

2.) AWD

3.) If low power, good gas mileage(27~)

Imprezas and WRXs caught my eye, but seem expensive for what you're really getting. BMW E46s also caught my eye, but maintenance seems a little high even if the engine and transmission is reliable.

The only cars I've found that interest me are

2005ish Mazda3

2005ish Subaru Legacy 2.5(and possibly the turbo GT)

I was leaning more towards the Legacy 2.5GT if I can find a clean one in my price range, but was wondering why a car with a nicer interior, turbo engine, and nice exterior is cheaper than the 2005 WRX? Are there major reliability issues I'm missing?

My commute is going to be roughly 75 miles a day.