Civic
Corrolla
Sentra
Versa
Mazda 3
Jetta
Forte
Elantra
Any of these have low buck, big fun potential?
Civic
Corrolla
Sentra
Versa
Mazda 3
Jetta
Forte
Elantra
Any of these have low buck, big fun potential?
Most of those nameplates have a hot model (Civis Si, Corolla GR, Elantra N, etc) but my guess is you are looking toward the base models. If that is the case, the Versa and the Mazda3 might be the only two offering a manual trans. However, the Versa has no real sporting aspirations which therefore leaves just the Mazda3, maybe.
Can't you still get a Mini Cooper with a stick?
In reply to MiniDave :
I think 2024 was the last year for a Mini with a stick.
I wouldn't qualify any of those as particularly small.
Pete. (l33t FS) said:I wouldn't qualify any of those as particularly small.
Yep.....3000lb doesn't qualify as small in my world. Too bad Americans all want big CUVs, because other markets still get smaller vehicles than we do and from the same manufacturers.
BRZ at 2900lbs with a stick is the go to for me.
Used and super light 2016 Scion iA in stick. ~2300lb's
In reply to wearymicrobe :
I watch Marketplace constantly, and when I see a used car with a stick, the first thing I do is go look up the power and weight specs for it. 2300 is light. I was looking at a number of cars yesterday and 2700# and 130ish horsepower is pretty common for 10-15 year old small cars. No longer the case though. I learned to drive a stick a looonngg time ago in a 1750# Vauxhall. 2000# cars were common back then.
It's a shame that the offerings are so slim. Living and working in a fairly dense urban area, I'd really consider something like the Scion IQ or Smart car if they didn't both kinda suck as cars. But in the USA of today it's all about big and bigger.
The Kia Forte got replaced by the K4, and no more manual trans or GT model. Now there's a "GT-Line" with 20 less HP and an automatic. Sporty/fun intentions were flushed down the drain with the redesign, but it's a thing that exists. It's also ugly as sin, but YMMV on that.
OK, 2024 Cooper S at about 2813 lbs and 189 hp should do the trick! And since it's a hatch and the back seats fold down it's pretty versatile.....
Tony Sestito said:The Kia Forte got replaced by the K4, and no more manual trans or GT model. Now there's a "GT-Line" with 20 less HP and an automatic. Sporty/fun intentions were flushed down the drain with the redesign, but it's a thing that exists. It's also ugly as sin, but YMMV on that.
This. The Elantra ditched the manual in 22 as well.
The Versa still comes with a manual, and a 5-speed at that!
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/news/live-thread-2024-nissan-versa-sr-review/
ND Miata is smaller, lighter and more fun than all of these
DeadSkunk (Warren) said:In reply to wearymicrobe :
I watch Marketplace constantly, and when I see a used car with a stick, the first thing I do is go look up the power and weight specs for it. 2300 is light. I was looking at a number of cars yesterday and 2700# and 130ish horsepower is pretty common for 10-15 year old small cars. No longer the case though. I learned to drive a stick a looonngg time ago in a 1750# Vauxhall. 2000# cars were common back then.
The scion ia was a weird one. I think it was based on the maza 2 which was originally designed for overseas markets. Not something they thought they could sell here until they tried. Low weight is not all it is cracked up to be on US streets. My little race car is just under 1000lbs and street legal. It skips all over the place and no amount of tire is going to get te power downs.
I grew up with VW beetles so 1600lbs or so, even lightere stripped of the rear seats and other stuff that broke over the years.
The Scion iQ I had was around 2150 or so, if it had a stick it would have been an amazing car. Without the stick it was worse then an appliance.
bobzilla said:Tony Sestito said:The Kia Forte got replaced by the K4, and no more manual trans or GT model. Now there's a "GT-Line" with 20 less HP and an automatic. Sporty/fun intentions were flushed down the drain with the redesign, but it's a thing that exists. It's also ugly as sin, but YMMV on that.
This. The Elantra ditched the manual in 22 as well.
Doesn't the Elantra N (at least) have an available manual transmission?
Also, I came here to root for the ND Miata as well. Small, light, and now kinda fast, too.
wearymicrobe said:DeadSkunk (Warren) said:In reply to wearymicrobe :
I watch Marketplace constantly, and when I see a used car with a stick, the first thing I do is go look up the power and weight specs for it. 2300 is light. I was looking at a number of cars yesterday and 2700# and 130ish horsepower is pretty common for 10-15 year old small cars. No longer the case though. I learned to drive a stick a looonngg time ago in a 1750# Vauxhall. 2000# cars were common back then.
The scion ia was a weird one. I think it was based on the maza 2 which was originally designed for overseas markets. Not something they thought they could sell here until they tried. Low weight is not all it is cracked up to be on US streets. My little race car is just under 1000lbs and street legal. It skips all over the place and no amount of tire is going to get te power downs.
I grew up with VW beetles so 1600lbs or so, even lightere stripped of the rear seats and other stuff that broke over the years.
The Scion iQ I had was around 2150 or so, if it had a stick it would have been an amazing car. Without the stick it was worse then an appliance.
The four door iA wasn't just based on a Mazda 2, it WAS a Mazda 2. Sit in it and you are confronted with the fairly high quality feeling Mazda interiors, the Mazda infotainment system with the puck in the center console, and the manual gate in the shifter goes the correct way (back to upshift, forward to downshift) because Mazda makes their cars for driving enthusiasts 
It's a pity that it didn't sell well. IIRC it was the only way to buy a Mazda 2 trunk car in the US and the only way to buy a 2 at all for a few years.
My friend at a Toyota dealership loved them, as well as the FRS and the Zupra, because the Toyota techs refused to work on the not-built-by-Toyota cars and he got all the work. It helped that he also owned Mazdas since he was a teenager and also had a few BMWs over the years.
How could you forget this gem?
The hatchback was available with a 5 speed manual but it was dropped a couple of model years ago.
It's tiny but with 78 raging Japanese ponies, it's far from sporty. IIRC, it was right around 3,000 pounds curb weight.
I had a rental with the CVT that I chose for some novelty but that wore off after about the second day.
In reply to stanger_mussle (Supported by GRM undergarments) :
The Mirage is around 2100 pounds, not 3000. 3000 may be the max GVWR.
We have one at work right now. The springs are comically thin.
I really like the things. The little three sounds interesting when working hard, which admittedly is its normal state of being. The tech working on it also owns a first gen DSM and a Lancer Sportback, and has been racing DSMs since they were new cars. He took many measurements on the Mirage and concluded that a 4G63 ought to fit I pointed out that technically a Subaru EJ205 fits in a BMW Mini but the details for everything else are a little less defined...
The Hyundai Venue was available with a manual for one year only (2020), but finding one is like finding unicorns. It was under 2600# and 121 HP.
In reply to DeadSkunk (Warren) :
Huh, I had no idea a manual Venue was ever a thing. Looks like the 6 speed manual was only available on the base trim (SE).
I found exactly one for sale in the entire US:
In reply to stanger_mussle (Supported by GRM undergarments) :
Should be easy to find parts for if you damage it.
Noddaz said:Civic
Corrolla
Sentra
Versa
Mazda 3
Jetta
Forte
Elantra
Any of these have low buck, big fun potential?
I'm not sure if "low buck" refers to buying the entry-level spec of each vehicle listed, or simply "low buck" mods after purchase. But from that line up, if you spend more for a Jetta GLI, then similar GTI "low buck" options are available. Stage 1 ECU tunes, transmission tunes (with the DCT), sways, springs, dampers, etc., as much or as little as you want.
Now that the Mazda 2/Yaris IA, real Yaris, and Honda Fit are all gone, this segment is a zombie. Such a shame, as these are the cars I like!
In reply to Pete. (l33t FS) :
Re: the Mirage
To be fair, I didn't hate it. It's a very honest little car; it doesn't try to be anything it isn't. I wish I could drive a manual transmission version. The CVT sucked a lot of the fun out of it. The 3 cylinder has a pretty unique thrum and it was hilarious to drive in anger. It was fun to drive a car the size of a roller skate in a slow car fast kinda way.
One surprise was how well the touchscreen infotainment system worked. It was way more responsive compared to the one in my Ford Maverick. It worked flawlessly for the week I had it as a rental. The backup camera was also far superior to the Maverick as well.
I actually tried to research if there was any aftermarket performance parts available but there isn't much out there.
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