Manual transmission used daily

[meep]

A 4 cylinder RWD 3 series bimmer with a stick is a delightful car. Drive one and you’ll see. Idk if that is implied with “euro trash” or not. They aren’t as reliable as a Honda but, man, drive one. The tuning and suspension is impeccably fabulous. The seats, less so.

If you could find a mid 2000s used Volvo in MT, those are a blast. Probably all wrecked by now. Long live the P2!

We had an ‘18 civic sport with 6MT and 1.5L engine and it was a brilliant drivers car. Yes, rev hang. But you could short shift it and it had torque for days so it didn’t matter. I wish it was still in the family. 40 mpg was not out of the question. It held the road like a crouched cat with claws out, even in the rain. I highly, highly recommend.

People will caution about oil dilution. Change it sooner, use one grade thicker, move on. Fabulous vehicle. Noisier on the highway than a luxury car however.

 

[Rmay635703]

Rust resistant? LOL Let me know if you find such a beast.

2000-2006 Honda Insight Aluminum.z+ composite body/unibody

 

[trd1zz]

2008 Corolla (or Matrix) XRS. Good luck finding a clean one.

Or just get a regular CE/LE/S. Throw leftover money into wheels, tires, handling mods. Find a well maintained one and continue to maintain it well and you can drive that motor hard everyday.

 

[Michigangster]

Eh, they seem to blow engines? I don't recall there being too much rev hang in the regular 2012 Focus I test drove, but that was a long time ago. The 12-18 Focus is a nice car to drive, with the manual. I might've got the 2012 but it was leaking oil from the AC compressor and the dealer wouldn't fix it as part of the deal, so no deal.

? I've never heard this. There are a few on the forums at Focusst.org with well over 200K on them. The motor and transmissions on these cars are not issues like they are in Subarus for example.

 

[IndyIan]

? I've never heard this. There are a few on the forums at Focusst.org with well over 200K on them. The motor and transmissions on these cars are not issues like they are in Subarus for example.

That's interesting, I think about 20% of the ones I see advertised locally are either with blown engine, or with a new engine, for the Focus's at least. I guess an "adult owned" ones do better. I guess like the WRX, most guys I know that used to have them are professional engineers, and they had no trouble with them, but like the ST's, they tend to attract car breakers too...

 

[Michigangster]

That's interesting, I think about 20% of the ones I see advertised locally are either with blown engine, or with a new engine, for the Focus's at least. I guess an "adult owned" ones do better. I guess like the WRX, most guys I know that used to have them are professional engineers, and they had no trouble with them, but like the ST's, they tend to attract car breakers too...

Yes, from what I've gathered in Metro Detroit they are 50/50 owned by middle-aged dorky folks like myself or kids with no curve on their baseball cap bills and obnoxious blow-off valves. Fearing the latter is one reason I bought mine new. There are a few folks on here who've submitted oil analysis (myself included) and they haven't shown any issues.

 

[tcp71]

The 2013 and 2014 CX-5 came with a manual...if you can hunt one down.

 

[OVERKILL]

A Focus up to 2007 has a throttle cable! I prefer the 04-07 duratecs. A mazda3 2.0 of the same era is a great little drivers car, the trick for them is to find one without too much rust, but just wait and watch one to pop up and then grab it.

Yeah, agreed, these are good little cars that are typically pretty cheap to own

 

[GR_CoB]

The 2013 and 2014 CX-5 came with a manual...if you can hunt one down.

That is a great option!

Another small crossover option is 2011-2019 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, it was manual and FWD. Plenty of aesthetic and handling mods available.

And a long the same lines here is a funner option. Definitely a love it or hate it when it comes to the looks, I happen to love it as it gives off old school rally car vibes. 2011-2017 Nissan Juke, 1.6 Turbo and came with FWD and manual. Came in base trim, as well as couple NISMO options.

 

[930.engineering]

I finally have the opportunity to take my time and move my CVT CR-V down the road however I am pretty lost for options in finding a good manual transmission drivers car. For me, power is of the least concern in a drivers car especially considering it will likely be front wheel drive.
Budget: $6000-,$10,000

Things that I need:
4 doors (suicide back doors acceptable)
2008 and newer
Below 100k miles

Things that I like:
Rust resistance
Hatchback/lift back (sedan acceptable but hatch preferred)

Things that I dislike:
Eurotrash
Rev hang
Heavy nose (audi, Subaru, v6 fwd cars)

I am fully versed with all mechanical repairs and will maintain the car myself. If manual transmission swaps are documented and known to be easy, reliable, factory like, and within budget they would be considered.
Other than that I am looking for a DAILY driver and not a project.
It might be occasionally autocrossed but being competitive/fast is not necessary.

The you for your guidance

Mk.6 GTI
Or maybe early Mk.7 GTI or A3 2.0T. Why didn't anyone suggest them so far?
.

 

[chorty]

When I was shopping and got the Accord my first choice was actually a Mazda 6 but was just outside my price range. That was also 6MT in the Soul Red color.

A little more $$ but Chevy Cruze?
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You said no Euro but there was many Jetta's, a couple Passat, GTI 4 door. all on Cars.com

Mini Cooper Clubman All4 has some. Kia Forte's, Kia Soul, Hyundai Elantra (and Touring)

cruze are garbage. expect to chase broken plastic with the coolant system. my 110k to 220k adventure has been terrible.

front thermostat, plastic, broken fingers.
coolant reservoir, cracked from pressure, plastic.
backside of engine, another piece of plastic, broken
oil/water cooler, behind the turbo, broken, plastic.....
the turbo has one water line coming from it, the idea is so it thermo-siphon's after shut down to avoid coking oil in the housing, bvecause everyone rolls off the expressway, parks, turns the key off, and jumps out, with the manifold still partially glowing red, but all the o-rings in the hardlines fail anyways.
intake manifold flapper, you'll need to do the PCV fix. the brand new intake, the rubber nubby thing broke before i even boltedit onto the head. If you don't address any PCV repairs it'll bring boosted pressure into crankcase and make every seal push out oil like a stuck pig
front driver door glass fell out of the track, it clocked 90* and dropped down into the door
rear driver door glass won't roll down, something broke and it won't 'pull' the window down
blower motor burned up
sway bar link bushings are a nightmare to replace, to make it easy you almost need to drop the engine cradle/sub frame.
the brakes are ungodly expensive, 3x that then what i did my 3500 1Ton chevy for....***?
there's a coolant hose extremely close to the manifold/turbo that will blow off and it's impossible to get to on the side of the road, ask me how i know

the only 'i'm cool i like my car mod' i could afford to do was pull a relay and add a toothpick to hold it closed so the 12v sockets stay live with key off.

but if you want to chase down odds and ends, it's alright for 30-40mpg. At least it's design it does not require premium fuel.

 

[chorty]

Mk.6 GTI
Or maybe early Mk.7 GTI or A3 2.0T. Why didn't anyone suggest them so far?
.

i scored a nice mk7 TDI Golf wagon 2015, brand new for $19,200 out the door, it had 3.7 miles on the clock.
VW bought my old 09 back for $10k, so my new car was already half paid for.

Best vehicle purchase ever. Currently as of 2025 has 23,000 miles on it. This weekend i'm about to do the timing belt.

 

[ms21043]

My daily for the last 4 years has been a 2015 Focus S with the 5 speed manual trans. It has about 115k on it now and about 75k of those miles I put on it. It has been very reliable, I've only had to replace a canister purge valve. The Focus replaced my last daily, a 2004 Neon R/T that I put 318k miles on.
I'm sure the Focus will go 300k if I keep it long enough. Icing on the cake is that it has averaged 41 mpg over those 4 years.
Imo, the 3rd gen Focus with Duratec 2.0 and manual trans is one of the most reliable drivers you can get.

 

[edyvw]

Mk.6 GTI
Or maybe early Mk.7 GTI or A3 2.0T. Why didn't anyone suggest them so far?
.

Don’t you know they fall apart in 50k?

 

[wsar10]

I would drop the clutch and go with a LEXUS... OR else maybe you can find a post 2008 IS with a 6spd.

I too always go back to the MAZDA 3, I would include the 6 but I have never owned a 6.
My 3 has 300k mi plus and no rust to speak of, even in Central PA!! ITs about taking care of something properly for the most part.

 

[TomYoung]

You're going to have a hard time finding a modern manual transmission that doesn't rev hang - you can thank the EPA for that.

Probably the same person that gave us the horrendous, plastic gas cans with the useless spring loaded spouts.

 

[Kurtatron]

OP, I bought a Scion xD last year. It’s basically a Yaris hatchback with a cheaper body. It’s been great at 180k miles. I don’t know how rust proof they are given that I live in the south.

 

[RBT]

I finally have the opportunity to take my time and move my CVT CR-V down the road however I am pretty lost for options in finding a good manual transmission drivers car. For me, power is of the least concern in a drivers car especially considering it will likely be front wheel drive.
Budget: $6000-,$10,000

Things that I need:
4 doors (suicide back doors acceptable)
2008 and newer
Below 100k miles

Things that I like:
Rust resistance
Hatchback/lift back (sedan acceptable but hatch preferred)

Things that I dislike:
Eurotrash
Rev hang
Heavy nose (audi, Subaru, v6 fwd cars)

I am fully versed with all mechanical repairs and will maintain the car myself. If manual transmission swaps are documented and known to be easy, reliable, factory like, and within budget they would be considered.
Other than that I am looking for a DAILY driver and not a project.
It might be occasionally autocrossed but being competitive/fast is not necessary.

The you for your guidance

If no Euro cars (disagree but it is your money) then Subaru Impreza or Mazda 3. Could also look for the Toyaburu coupe, whatever they call it now.

Best driving car you will get is the BMW recommended above.

 

[Elkins45]

There were at least a few Mazda6 sold with a manual until they dropped that option sometime around 2018. I know because my 2016 has one. If you could find one I’m sure you would love it.

 

[dfarr67]

'17 Accord 6MT, 2.4L, 500 miles on a tank on highway, quiet. Handling? Does my daily commute and road trips.

You can get newer with 2.0L turbo but other things change (some body shape, LED headlights that don't melt snow/ice). I found that at least in the automatic loaner I had the center console was wider and hit my knee where I had surgery and just rubbed a lot. Hated it.

View attachment 287439
View attachment 287440

My '17
View attachment 287441

I think a '22
View attachment 287442

I have a '15 Sport, rev hang and other issues solved by Ktune.