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RWD sedan with MANUAL trans

S

Shinchu

I wanna be Dave
Joined
Dec 21, 2016
Messages
2,723
Location
san diego
thread title.

a little background:
i have almost always driven a lowered, manual trans daily driver.
i was thinking about a jeep of some sort lately, but wife already has a grand and while not a 4x4, she is considering that when her lease is up next july so we will have a camping rig. ergo, i don't NEED a jeep of my own.
rejoice.

now my current situation is, i have a scion FR-S with a lease up in Feb '18.
i have less than a year to figure out WHAT THE HECK NEXT?!:shock:

I'm not keeping it, much as i would like, my family complains when i cram them (wife and 9 year old twins) into it for anything more than a trip to the local target. which is dumb because the trunk cant hold more than a basketball and a loaf of bread. (anyone going to proline's event here in may will have a good laugh when i roll up in this tiny thing)

SO!

i need FOUR doors. REAR drive. and equally important but somehow hardest to find...
MANUAL GEARBOX.
(and preferably no more than 10 years old? all staying under $30k)

it has been narrowed down to (and not by choice but default):

BMW - the newer (2009-2015) 335i has a rip snorting turbo 6. and i shit you not, i found a super rare 2011 M3 sedan with competition package on autotrader for $26k right here in socal. YAS PLEASE. these things are usually $50k+ and yes i ran the vin its clean!

Cadillac - what? yes, the ATS is not bad with a turbo 4 cranking out almost as much as the 335i. but in the words of Dutch in Predator: "You'ah one uglee muddafu**a..." and just... Cadillac? ehhh... oh and the older CTSV can be found for around $10-15k but... Cadillac?!

plan B if none of this works out is to just grab a good ol' 2004 Lexus is300 with manual gearbox until i see something better.

TL/DR;
i want to hoon but still carry my family around comfortably. help?
(and no, a separate "track day" car is out of the question)
 
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did you read the thread title? lol

GS has no manual option, ever (i had a 2002 GS300 it was nice but missing a 3rd pedal). 370z is... i mean my current FRS would be better lol the z only seats 2!

but hey thanks for trying!
 
VW GTi or Golf R? I know they're not RWD but the R is AWD. And they're both available on manual trans. And I guess they're not sedans either... but they are 4dr hatch backs that are much roomier than a FR-S.
 
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IF your budget is 30K, my vote is 2 cars. IS300, turbo kit, proper suspension mods. You cant really go wrong when you need 4 doors. Spend the rest on a 6mt TSX. That can certainly be done for less than 15K. Then you dont have you to rely on the car you want to have fun in.

Im a little biased when it come to the IS though:mrgreen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKai1aVafUk
 
Ah, rear drive. the land of sunny CA. Not so much here in wet, cold, miserable PA.

Not RWD, but test drive a Mazda6 with a 6 speed. You might be surprised. Excellent ergonomics, plenty of room for the kids, and very fun to drive. Still amazed at how fast I can hustle down the backroads. (when the kids are at home of course)

I was also looking for a 4 door manual with any drivetrain - getting hard to find. Drove an Accord Sport, Impreza, and the 6 - Accord was nice, Impreza was ok, but the 6 felt much sportier to me. Added a Racing Beat catback and super happy with the entire package.
 
Dodge Charger RT they were available in stick from what I recall. Otherwise it would be out of your "age range" but the old Volvo 740's were available in stick, turbo, N/a and are all RWD
 
elbo said:
IF your budget is 30K, my vote is 2 cars. IS300, turbo kit, proper suspension mods. You cant really go wrong when you need 4 doors. Spend the rest on a 6mt TSX. That can certainly be done for less than 15K. Then you dont have you to rely on the car you want to have fun in.

Im a little biased when it come to the IS though:mrgreen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKai1aVafUk
Click to expand...

BigSki said:
Were any of the Holden/Pontiac GTO's available as a c-dan ?
Click to expand...

tuanies said:
Chevy SS and Pontiac G8 GXP
Click to expand...


best suggestions so far!
oh and the G35 sedan is pretty good too. "thumbsup"

Pontiac G8 is awesome but suuuuper hard to find in the GXP for manual. and when you do find one they are RIGHT at $30k. chevy SS is a little too new, and the only way to get the 3rd pedal version is the 2015 and up. and also way north of $30k, usually about $45. that's easily used M3 sedan territory.
(much more of a driver's car than the boat of an SS)

G35 like i said is a good option. affordable, parts a plenty, nobody will scream bloody murder if i "ruin it" by lowering it with a nice set of wheels.

is300, same as above and it shares powerplant options with the supra. that should be winner winner chicken dinner with that last tidbit alone.
but, also hard to find a manual in good condition that hasn't already been hooned to death and/or riced out. also, they are showing their age at over 10 years old. (manual 1st gen from '03 to '05)

and like i said earlier, the 2 cars thing wont work.
i did it earlier, i had an AE86 with 20v 4ag swap for a track beast, and my daily was a 2013 accord sport sedan. AWESOME combo. the accord was a fantastic FWD that actually felt athletic even with the funky CVT trans. very nimble and comfy. the AE86... well i mean come on, its an AE86! need i say more?! you have to drive one to understand. 180hp is all it takes to feel like a rocketship at 2100 pounds.

why did i get rid of the AE86/accord combo?
my dad kicked the bucket and left his 66 stingray to my son. (inside joke, his dad gave me a 65 el camino for my 16th b-day)
had to make room in the 2 car garage, so... sorry AE86 you are legendary but not 66 corvette big block legendary.

i cant fit another car in my fleet, so a second (would be 4th) is out of the question.

some would say "YOU FOOL, YOU HAVE A VETTE! THAT IS YOUR FUN CAR!"
i would say maybe you are right. but that is not something i would willfully toss around for fun. the few times i have driven it, the pucker factor was enough to move the earth off orbit. in my mind, i only hear the words "limitless torque, irreplaceable, wtf are power brakes? heirloom, what would my son say, lap belts only..." and on and on. its almost not even fun driving something like that.
maybe later after i upgrade brakes, seat belts, steering modernization... it needs work before i trust it and trust myself to "have fun" in that car.
i do plan on a drive up PCH, get on laguna seca for the historics, and maybe a blast up pikes peak. someday...

until then, i just need something with 4 doors, RWD, and manual trans that doesn't cost a fortune and wont leave me stranded.

great suggestions so far fellas! really considering the is300, G35, maaaaybe still in for the right bimmer. like that $26k M3 sedan! wooo-weee!!!
 
Gula said:
Dodge Charger RT they were available in stick from what I recall. Otherwise it would be out of your "age range" but the old Volvo 740's were available in stick, turbo, N/a and are all RWD
Click to expand...

i looked into chargers/300c also. (the new daytonas are SICK)
drama there, they did a huge "woopsie" and only crash tested the automatic floorpan. the manual trans version never went into production.:roll:
 
elbo said:
IF your budget is 30K, my vote is 2 cars. IS300, turbo kit, proper suspension mods. You cant really go wrong when you need 4 doors. Spend the rest on a 6mt TSX. That can certainly be done for less than 15K. Then you dont have you to rely on the car you want to have fun in.

Im a little biased when it come to the IS though:mrgreen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKai1aVafUk
Click to expand...

dude. :shock: i just watched the vid.

1UZ SWAP!!? "thumbsup" that's awesome! that would be the ultimate competition for the M3 sedan. i just don't think i have the time/patience/paycheck/facility for a swap of that caliber.
but yeah you are right, a manual is300 with a bolt on turbo would be fine too.
i could manage that in my garage. only trouble is, there are no CA legal turbo kits. that's why i never swapped my SR20 i owned in japan in to my "California silvia" when i got back home. too scared a cop would pull me over and pop my hood, send me to a referee and bye-bye 240. (in a lapse of intelligence i sold it anyway and bought a 98 Camaro. another story, for another time. probably my least proud automotive memory.)

hmm... giving serious thought to an is300 now...8) gotta love Toyota dependability.
 
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hmmm... chasers are rad, bought my wife a jzx90 cresta when we lived in japan. pretty much a chaser with a different grill.

i need to look into CA laws for importing. i know a while back (2002-2006ish?) when R33's were getting imported via MOTOREX, it was a big scandal and all importing was pretty much impossible after that. maybe things have changed?
motorex links a'plenty....
https://www.google.com/search?q=motorex+skyline+importing+to+california&ie=&oe=
 
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Shinchu said:
hmmm... chasers are rad, bought my wife a jzx90 cresta when we lived in japan. pretty much a chaser with a different grill.

i need to look into CA laws for importing. i know a while back (2002-2006ish?) when R33's were getting imported via MOTOREX, it was a big scandal and all importing was pretty much impossible after that. maybe things have changed?
motorex links a'plenty....
https://www.google.com/search?q=motorex+skyline+importing+to+california&ie=&oe=
Click to expand...

Those cars are all over 25 years old and perfectly legal to import, hence why there's been an influx of R32's in the US and other cool JDM cars.
 
CA is a different beast. it sucks here if you like cars and/or guns. i have a recent issue of super street that talks about importing and they said something like "if you're in cali, good luck..."
still considering it, but I'm drooling over e90 M3... finding a bunch in the $20k range. just scared of rod bearing failure. somebody replied to an article that had a good point though, "if they are high milage and bearings haven't gone out already, they are most likely fine." hmm, some truth to that. or they could be on the verge of failure and the owner is ditching it when they saw the oil labs come back full of lead/copper. (2011 switched to tin/alum bearings so its hard to see in oil labs)

so yeah I'm kinda teetering between is300 or e90 M3.
plus side of the is300 it wont kill my wallet and if i need more power than just bolt ons, i can slap a turbo on it.

but... V8 M3 is miiiiiighty tempting!
 
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Would your family be OK with a 2 door if it was roomy inside? Because a manual R/T Challenger fits all your criteria except for number of doors. It's a big car based on the Charger platform, and there's a lot of room in the back seats if you don't mind climbing back there.
 
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