If it was my decision, I'd say warranty would be key in my search. chrysler is a 7/70 drivetrain warranty, compared to 3/36 from fomoco and gm. a lot of the import brands are pretty loaded on warranties.
from DC, i'd consider driving the dodge stratus, and sebring, and although it's love it or hate it, the pt cruisers are cheap and not bad for their price range. they're also really flexible in terms of options with convertibles or hardtops, and drivetrain choices out the ass.
i'd also consider looking at the ford five hundred and mercury montego which aren't bad from fomoco, and from gm, the chevy malibu, monte carlo, or cobalt, and the pontiac g6. From either ford or gm though, I'd highly recommend extending the warranty coverage to at least last the length of the payments. Trust me, been screwed there
i'd also seriously consider looking at a few other things too. The new 05 Subaru legacy is _really_ nice, especially the GT. had i driven it before I made my decision on a new car, it would have been a serious contender. of course i drove one for the first time a few weeks after I bought the gto. Not that I've driven everything out there, but the legacy 2.5 gt in my opinion just might be the absolute best sedan you can buy for 26,0XX. And if something a bit smaller is your style, the impreza WRX is a lot of car for just under 25,000.
there are a lot of other imports out there of note too.