So the list I've come up with is below. It should be noted I need four doors for getting my 3yo in and out of her car seat easily.
Chevy Cruze '14 and older (Great crash test rating)
Dodge Dart GT ( haven't heard much about these honestly)
Ford Fusion ( prefer the '14 and newer but hard to find w/ manual)
Ford Focus ST ( Really tempting but almost no usable hatch space)
Mazdaspeed3 ( Again really tempting but same problem the ST has)
Jetta TDI & Jetta TDI sportwagen ( Sworn off VWs in the 90's. Worth looking at the 2012 and newer TDIs?)
Any I'm missing?
The Focus St and MS3 I'd probably leave stock the others I'd probably lower and throw a set of wheels on.
I was looking at much older cars but realized probably smarter to try and find something a little newer.
Thanks
Owned a ms3 for 4 years. 2012 one.
With your requirements, I would get a TSX
mr2s2000elise said:
Owned a ms3 for 4 years. 2012 one.
With your requirements, I would get a TSX
Forgot all about these. Also any thoughts on a four door civic Si?
dankspeed said:
mr2s2000elise said:
Owned a ms3 for 4 years. 2012 one.
With your requirements, I would get a TSX
Forgot all about these. Also any thoughts on a four door civic Si?
Depnds on your age, where you live, insurance etc. civic si 4 door are great, just not my cup of tea anymore. May suit your needs
my ms3 was fine. 2 kids, double strollers etc. always had 2 seaters before that as DD which was enough.
Got tired of Ms3 low quality and all the ricers in Golf R, wrx etc wanting to race at every light. People woth backwards hat etc think they own a sports car. Losers.
got away from that and went to tsx and its been great. Nobody gives it a second look.
Had a 16 wrx limited for a while as well bought new. But again product is too low quality and i cant stand those quality compromises at this point in my life.
Learned hard lessons along the way. For me family DD, quality, reliability, fun. In that order is whats important to me. Your requirements may be different
The Korean cars offered a lot of models with manual trans
John Welsh said:
Here is a FB link to a 2014 Fusion turbo manual which then leads to this CL ad...
https://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/cto/d/bloomfield-hills-2014-ford-fusion-se/6837470955.html
Actually saw this one earlier today and reached out to the owner for details. Bit further away than I would like but i'd travel for the right car.
pres589, I don't see any BMWs popping up in the year and price range. Always wanted a BMW too.
John Welsh said:
The Korean cars offered a lot of models with manual trans
I did see a 2008 hyundai sonata for sale for 8K. Had a 2.4 w/ a 6spd. Any thoughts on these?
dankspeed said:
John Welsh said:
The Korean cars offered a lot of models with manual trans
I did see a 2008 hyundai sonata for sale for 8K. Had a 2.4 w/ a 6spd. Any thoughts on these?
Same basic car is badged as the Kia Optima too.
No personal experience but reputation is good.
Sonata sample
Optima sample
I have a 3 year old, so I understand the requirements. Any of those should work from a childseat/loading/unloading perspective.
I don't understand how an MS3 or a Focus ST have no useable hatch space? They have significantly more useable space than many other options on your list.
Cars.com link
They seem just over the top end of your price. I tried to get stuff that isn't insanely far from where you're at.
I think either traveling farther or going for a different line of cars would be the way to go, honestly, which is unfortunate.
What about an Accord 4cyl/manual?
I didn’t think the TsX came w a MT.
TDI? What’s going on with these nowadays? Are the “fixed” ones worth having?
Also ILX, I see surprisingly newish GTI and GLIs in that range. Lancer GT or GTS with 2.4l. Elantra GT hatch. IS250. Not sure what year they stopped putting manuals in Maximas. Mazda6. I have seen Newer Sentra turbos dip near 14, doubt a NISMO is that cheap yet. Last gen Sentra Spec V.
What are 6MT G37 sedans going for in your area? They're a ton of car for the money and they don't have the same bad reputation as the coupes.
ProDarwin said:
I have a 3 year old, so I understand the requirements. Any of those should work from a childseat/loading/unloading perspective.
I don't understand how an MS3 or a Focus ST have no useable hatch space? They have significantly more useable space than many other options on your list.
Checked out a focus ST yesterday and made a point to measure the hatch. I seriously doubt id be able to fit her bike that has training wheels in there. While ive not confirmed it i think it would fit in the trunk of most of the cars i listed ( possibly not the dart). I havent confirmed the ms3 but looks to be similar size as the focus. Keep in mind i cant put the back seat down for more room since ill have her car seat in there. Taking her bike with me in the future to do test fits.
I can tell you from first hand experience that the FoST hatch is small, especially if it has the subwofer in it.
Stay away from VW, unless you've got solid back up transportation. They're garbage.
If you want plenty of room in a sedan with manual trans and fun to drive, I think Honda Accord Sport is your answer. Tons of room, as in massive. Slickest stick shift this side of a Miata. Reliable as gravity. Not super fast, but that wasn't on your list.
tjbell
HalfDork
3/12/19 6:49 a.m.
I vote GTI.
Can be had in your price with decent mileage, very reliable with well documented fixed for the problems that may arise. I've had 3 with over 150k combined miles, not one single problem. All tuned and modded too
Forte5 (first and second generation), Elantra, Sonata/Optima all have options in manual.
I would go the Forte5 14-up with the 1.6T.
bobzilla said:
Forte5 (first and second generation), Elantra, Sonata/Optima all have options in manual.
I would go the Forte5 14-up with the 1.6T.
My brother recently picked up a 2012? Forte5 with the 2.4… I got to drive it (for all of 10 minutes) but it impressed me. 8/10 would probably daily.
In reply to therieldeal :
the big block was a fun car (all the SX in the first gen 10-13). Great midrange and smooth power delivery. I remember when it was tuned the torque curve was amazeballs. Peak of 161@4000 rpms but it was making 140+ from 2000 through 6000rpms. With a curve like that in a 2700lb car shifting wasn't a necessity. The clutch on the other hand sucked.
In reply to tjbell :
What years are you referring to? What problems exactly are well documented?
I don't mind doing the occasional fix thats needed but I've heard some horror stories.
In reply to CyberEric :
I'd be interested in TDI experts chiming in. I've seen some Jetta Sportwagens nicely priced.
Last-gen Honda Accord Sport came with a 6-speed manual, and early ones might have fallen into that price range. They seem like great cars for DD duty.
