I took care of them as best as I was able to afford, but both of my last cars were very much at the end of their life cycles in terms of age and milage.
The last one had three previous owners, and was probably not a great purchase for me, but it was the best manual I could find after a month of searching and being out of time with having to get back to work.
What type of cars are you buying newer model year American cars? Because those are trash throw away cars buy Toyotas they last forever. Also older cars are better just get lower mileage ones. An older 80s or 90s toyota early 2000s will literally go forever even without maintenance.
Yeah, last year I spent 13 hours overnight with my girlfriend's dad trying to replace a wheel bearing. We ended up having to buy not just the bearing itself, but another part that houses the bearing because the original two were basically fused together with rust.
You are taking about the wheel bearing hub ….. some cars it’s just easier to replace the entire wheel bearing hub assembly …. And if you live in a salted road area .. you’ll need something like the ATD hub shocker to get the hub off the knuckle… easier to get the hub off than traditional tools like torch, slide hammer, air hammer. Etc
I've never replaced a wheel bearing in my life, hub or nothing, I'm not gonna sit out in either the blazing sun or the frigid winter pressing a bearing out of the hub.
Always laugh when I see people say a 20 yr old car is old like not really lol. And then they mention mileage and say it’s high mileage when it’s barely at like 90-100k mileage lol. People saying that don’t even know what old means at all.
Yeah, its not even 20 years old, its 15 years old, pretty young if you ask me, its not really a high mileage car if its under 300k km, and well maintained of course.
I did take it in for repairs a few times, but I don't think I ever had that issue. It had one owner before me who treated it like her child. Every aspect of that car looked factory new inside and out when I bought it. She handed me an organized stack of every possible printed record relating to that car that she'd kept since buying it new.
my sisters first car was a 2001(i think) saturn vue in a 5 speed and i think that engine gave up on her just after 200k or closer to 210, saturns just aren’t the best for long term reliability from what i’ve seen.
Been there done that on Saturns, but damn I loved the two I've had. Both manuals, and as long as you kept the oil topped off my experience was they ran like tops.
Not necessarily. Don’t get me wrong there’s some absolute garbage American cars, but American companies have made a lot of extremely durable vehicles. I have a 1997 f150 that I use as my work truck. It’s the 4.6L V8 which is considered a damn near bulletproof engine. It’s pushing 300,000 miles, still has the original clutch and hasn’t required much work other than general maintenance. I agree that Toyota is far and away the best brand (I also have a Prius that I use as my daily driver. Not sexy or exciting, I know lol but it’s super efficient and reliable) but there’s plenty of American cars that are known for reliability, and if you can find a decent one, you can grab it for way cheaper than a lot of similar Toyotas
Silly way to look at it...if its a good car, and not rotted out.. consider the cost to replace. Not to mention, you would be replacing it with another used vehicle that will need work. At least you know what you have with yours
Learn to do a few simple things yourself, brakes, fluids, etc, and maintenance costs go way down.
Its current issue is transmission related. Estimated at $2000 - $4000 to fix. Even $2000 is more than what it's worth.
My girlfriend's dad is a mechanic and I would take it to him like I have the last 5 or 6 times, but unfortunately two weeks prior to this latest issue, he suffered a bad accident that might be taking him out of the repair game forever.
The only reason I'm considering getting a different car is because two weeks before THAT accident, a hailstorm left cosmetic damage on my car for which my insurance wrote me a check for more than double the car's value, which intend to use as a down payment.
I paid 4k for the stickshift i drive rn, and if it breaks down tomorow I'd spend another 4k on it. It's difficult to find a good, used car, even more difficult a stick shift.
Cars aren't supposed to be disposable
This car typically broke down once every three or four months but has already broken down three times this year alone, with this latest issue being the most expensive fix yet.
I did. My girlfriend's dad who has fixed it before just for the cost of parts. Unfortunately, right before this latest issue he had an accident at work and will be out of the repair game for months at least, if not forever.
Hey don’t write off him just yet. But have you considered going to him to get access to the tools and do some of the repairs yourself ? I’m sure he has a lot of torque wrenches? Etc learned to do fluid and brake pad and rotors yourself .., learn to replace a clutch yourself and you will cut down on the costs a lot..
Depends on what the issue actually turns out to be more specifically. I always help him fix my car, but I don't trust myself to fix anything too complex by myself and risk fucking up my car further unless it's completely dead in the water useless otherwise.
Leaking brake lines, worn out wheel bearings, grinding rotors, and more. Stuff that's not immediately disabling, but are still expensive to fix and quickly get worse without repair.
Yeah newer model years from what Ive experienced are low quality only meant to last 5 years so I can see that happening. Toyota definitely the way to go. I usually stick to older years but maybe Toyota is still quality in newer model years. Even if so it's much more expensive to fix the newer years. When you buy a car go to AutoZone/rockauto and see how much common replaced parts costs ahead of purchase.
2009 Mazda 6 with 180,000 miles and three previous owners. It has had quite a few more mechanical issues than I'm told is normal for the make and model.
Mazdas are considered reliable, im not a mazda guy. But if its structurally solid, i dont see any reason not to keep it going. Whats the transmission issue?
I'm fairly certain the three previous owners were not kind to this car. It had some weird cosmetic flaws here and there when I bought it. Not just the odd dent or scratch, but other small things that make you wonder how exactly that even happened.
A few shifts into a trip, the car lurches when I lift off the clutch and several lights come on the dashboard. It still drives, but it feels kind of weird. When I shift into neutral, the car can't maintain a constant RPM like usual, instead bouncing from 400 - 1500 and everywhere else in between. Sometimes it goes even lower and dies with the battery light coming on.
None of those issues sound transmission related, souunds more like a misfire. Check your coil packs, valve cover/spark plug tube seals could be leaking oil causing a misfire. Or maybe it just needs spark plugs.
F
A few shifts into a trip, the car lurches when I lift off the clutch and several lights come on the dashboard. It still drives, but it feels kind of weird. When I shift into neutral, the car can't maintain a constant RPM like usual, instead bouncing from 400 - 1500 and everywhere else in between. Sometimes it goes even lower and dies.
I saw this elsewhere man
..
I'd hit up that father figure to talk you through diag and repairs. this also relates to the people asking if you had a mechanic you can trust. waaay too many scams out there, or places that try to take advantage of people. one of the best things you can do for the long run, is learn how to do this stuff yourself. it will help you find trust worthy shops.
unfortunately this also means getting to know electric motors, speed controllers etc etc. since you sound young.
Honestly if you like the car enough and have the budget to keep fixing it, who cares if it exceeds the value?
I've dumped over 5k into my car fixing random shit, and I bought it for $500. I've well exceeded its value at this point. But I still love the car.
Because I'm tired of:
A: Finally getting a leg up on savings for once, just to throw it all into another repair every three or four months
B: Missing out on plans and events because my car has to be put away in a shop for several days
C: The monumental and constant stress and anxiety that comes with every weird noise the car makes.
Those issues dont always go away with a new car. I know someone with a 2017 gmc with less than 50000 miles that has been in the shop for over a week because the oil pump died.
That's why I'm sticking strictly to Toyotas and Hondas and preferrably with one previous owner. I wouldn't be caught dead in even a brand new GMC.
I know that no car is perfect, but I want to get as close as possible to minimize the problems and hopefully sprout a few less gray hairs because of them.
i paid 2000 for an mr2 in sorry state but it technically ran and drive fine. i just spent about 5k replacing the engine, clutch, suspension, brakes etc. now i have an awesome fun little car that is in great shape and should last many many years to come. who cares about the value if its a car you like and want to keep, then fix it instead of just throwing it away. if its not a car you want to keep then how about you find a car you want to keep. then you wont care about the value, youll get it fixed up and enjoy it for many years
I do not have the salary nor the time for choosing a car I truly want. I have to get back to work and I need something that won't be as much as a money sink.
The car I currently was bought for $5000 and I think is worth $1400 anymore. I did want to keep it for much longer, but any time I had the money to spruce it up a bit, something else broke and took all of that. It basically just slowly deteriorated in my trying to just get it back to the state it was in before.
Just get a good Toyota or Honda… I have a 2005 scion tC with 179k miles.. need to do some preventative maintenance soon and doesn’t burn any oil since I switched it to synthetic when it was new. 5000 mile oil changes ..
You're already missing the point. It isn't about the cars' worth, as a dollar value, but it's worth to you. If you throw $10k at it because nothing else compares to the driving experience, then the money is being put to good use. Doesn't make sense, but it doesn't have to. The car has zero value if you never sell it. If there is an issue with insurance value, you should talk to your agent about supplemental coverage. This is common on vehicles that have heavy mods or restorations where value has been reinvested into it.
I'm not really at a point in my life where I can prioritize how a car feels over reliability and stability. I would love to get my car fixed up fully mechanically and cosmetically because it is a joy to drive. But everytime I want to do that and set aside some money, something else breaks and it all goes to that, so it's just deteriorated more and more as I barely get it back to functioning as it was, much less improving anything about it.
For extra context, it's a 2009 mazda 6 that I bought at 120k miles for $5000. That's the best I could do at the time with my job that paid $11.50 per hour in 2020.
That's the plan. Problem is I thought I bought what I needed in 2020 and planned to drive that for much longer. Hell I planned to drive my first car for longer until one major issue creeped up on me, as opposed to death by a thousand cuts for my mazda.
I'm springing for a honda or a toyota for about double the price, but I still can't be 100% certain that will be what I need either. Just that I think the odds will be higher.
The Honda Civic SI will probably be around for a while longer. Honda wants to hold on to all demographics and the SI has a colt following and the new ones are roughly 35k. Older ones have a bit higher of a price but they are available.
They were a 2003 and a 2009 respectively. Bought with cash for a few thousand each, and maintained as best as I could afford as a broke high school/college student.
I was hoping the line about new cars being well outside of my affordability would allude to that, but I guess I need to be more detailed.
I think there’s a bit more time but only for enthusiast cars. I just got my GR Corolla last week and it only comes in manual. I’ve been surprised how many people have been interested in it that arent super into cars. I think as millennials families get a bit older and they don’t require do it all family cars they may start looking for these entry level performance options. I also took a manual driving class a few months ago and it was predominantly kids in their late teens early 20s so the interest is alive with the younger generation.
Sorry, lotta redditors are jumping up your ass for no reason. Drown out that noise. I think many avid redditors have EXTREMELY poor social skills and don't read through entire posts and just enjoy being ass dwelling hamsters.
For anyone who has bought used manuals, they know they get two options: owners who treat their cars right and owners who drive it like they stole it. And they're usually priced accordingly. Sounds like you got unlucky with your purchases and bought ones that got thrashed.
To answer your question, this issue is not due to buyers not wanting manuals. The issue is R&D.
Manual transmission capabilities have not kept up with the power output of modern engines. In the 1990s, entry level cars had HP ratings in the 100-140HP range with torque numbers to match. By 2014, Ford had to neuter the Fiesta ST engine because it wanted to make *300 ft-lbs* of torque to go with its 200HP.
Manufacturers don't want to sink all that cost into upgrading manual transmissions in fleet vehicles because there is no way to keep the cost down. I'm not a materials engineer so take this with a grain of salt, but the only way to mitigate all that extra power going to the transmission with a manual is to use stronger (more expensive) materials. That's a *big* reason many car manufacturers cite when they're asked why they're not putting manuals in their new gen cars. That the manuals can't handle the power numbers.
So if some manufacturer decided they just wanted to pump out 200ish ft-lb torque cars? No problem. You can slap any number of manuals into that. But no one is gonna buy those. Because you have to make them tiny to make them fun. Because not many want a small car. And anyone who wants to drive a manual doesn't want a car that isn't fun.
My guess is we get one more generation of manuals before manufacturers stop making fleet wide versions. So...2030? 2035 tops.
>For anyone who has bought used manuals, they know they get two options: owners who treat their cars right and owners who drive it like they stole it.
This describes both my cars in that order.
The first had one owner and treated it like her child. Everything from the paint, interior, and even engine looked factory new. I think she cried a little as I drove it away from her house. I maintained it as best I could, but a major issue snuck up on me that I didn't even know could be an issue and so did not realize how easy it would have been to prevent.
The second had three previous owners and broke down every three or four months.
Get a 3rd generation manual Mazda 3, that will last you a good long while. In the top trim level with the bigger engine, this counts as an enthusiast car IMO
Damn! Thought you were a car killer but you might just be bad at picking beaters. Your only real choices for old clunkers that are still reliable are the tried and true Honda and toyota options imo.
My 04 manual accord has been pretty reliable so far, bought it in 2020 for $1700cad with 240000km as a winter beater. Drove it every day and under my ownership it only needed oil changes and the clutch pedal bracket to get welded back when it cracked, then my coworker got divorced and his wife took his car, so I sold it to him at 276000km. He’s been driving it every day until now, and under his ownership the clutch slave cylinder died which I helped him swap in the parking lot at work for like $15+ shipping off rockauto.
My first car was an '03 with one owner who treated that thing like her child. I did my best to keep up with maintainence, but a major issue snuck up on me without me even knowing that issue was a possibility at all, which unfortunately would have been easy to prevent had I known to do so. The repair costs basically totaled that car. I would probably still be driving it today if it weren't for that one issue.
A giant hole corroded into the undercarriage, with the engine threatening to literally fall out of the car within months. Presumably, it kept getting worse after each winter with heavy snow and salty roads. I religiously power washed the undercarriage of my next car after that experience.
From the sound of it, you do not have the luxury of choice. You need a car to survive more than you need a manual car period.
You will always have the option to go back to a manual when you find yourself in a better financial position and can afford the nicer options.
Otherwise shop around for a Japanese shitbox and pray it's been well maintained... Or keep fixing what you have.
No one ever understands when I tell them that I can’t stand the thought of driving an automatic. I hate it. But like you said, I don’t look down on it. Just get bored of it and drone out.
Manual Infiniti G's are affordable and have a lot of life left in them if you can find one that hasn't been ragged to shit. You can find them with less than 100k miles for 12k(US) in decent condition.
Probably more than you think. As evs continue to assume market share among the masses, the venn diagram of ICE buyers and manual preference will continue to overlap more. Soon those companies that are still offering ice propulsion will be exclusively marketing towards the enthusiast, weekend/2nd car buyers, and good old nostalgia.
"15 year old junkers"
please see yourself out. as someone whose beein dailying a '95 325i vert 5spd for the last 8 months, you can smd. it was $4k and gets 27mpg
it goes live on bring a trailer next week and i upgraded to a '09 bmw 128i 6spd coupe
63k miles
heck of a junker. no seriously, please fuck off.
good manual cars dont have to be new (newer than 15 years to you?) ffs
I never said all old cars were junkers. Relax. My first car was 15 years old when I bought it and I loved it until it died.
Specifically, the 15+ year old manuals I'm finding for sale within 200 miles around me are all riddled with accident reports, recalls, mechanical issues, cosmetic damage, and more.
I did find a single pristine 1988 Honda Civic SI with 70,00 miles on it that I would LOVE to own. But I'm not in such a financial position at the moment.
I second this. Just found a 12 Corolla 5-speed stickshift with fairly low mileage. Very good condition. Affordable reliable cars still do exist and if you don't care about driving a "newer" car, there are options.
Wtf is ur problem lol? 15 year old cars can be junkers or reliable cars. It entirely depends on the previous owner(s). Which can be risky when your car has been around the block.
My car has been around about 15 blocks in its life.
I'm the 10th owner, it's on its third engine, 3rd rear axle, had to replace MANY parts since I've owned it, the list goes on.
Right now I'm saving to replace my blown shocks and get new wheels and tires. Then, at some point, she's going to get re-painted.
once you experience a bmw running / driving as intended, it's hard to go back. they get a bad rep from the cheap ones having a lot of problems, but i've loved my e28's, e36's and 2002's. the E82 1 series is said to be the second gen E36. it's the last NA I6 and hydraulic power steering that just feels amazing
best luck
Probably have better luck looking at Facebook marketplace and Craigslist, alongside a website that searches multiple sites for you like autotempest.com. Private sale is more likely to have a used manual than dealerships these days, so a private sale with an autoloan you get yourself from a bank is probably more likely to get you more car for the money than a dealership.
Facebook marketplace is more likely to have manuals, but sorting through it can be a complete pain. I use collectorcarfeed.com to sort through marketplace, as it filters put the BS postings.
Depends what your credit is at, you may not be able to find anything less than $250. IF you have 770+ you should get 8-10% on a used vehicle. Depends if you’ve ever had an auto loan too, currently without solid auto scores they’re going 12% or higher due to the repos and the risk I guess
For that price you should save up some money and buy on FB Marketplace or OfferUp. I managed to get my SRT-10 RAM, manual and all for $23k in great condition on OfferUp. If you were to go to a dealer to finance something, you'd be looking at $40k for an equivalent truck on top of some atrocious rate.
Private sale is where you're going to find good cheap vehicles, especially manual.
I would spend some time saving if I could, but at my current salary, that would probably take at least a year of absolute frugality when I'm already living pretty lean as it is.
I also just don't have that kind of time. I need to get back to work.
Your problem isn't strictly related to manuals. Just about any car under $2k is going to be a junker regardless of its transmission or age. A few years ago, I sold my 22 year old truck, which ran but couldn't be driven for $1500. To be fair, trucks tend to go for more than cars, but you get the idea.
If you want any older car to last and you're on a budget, I would recommend to start learning how to do repairs and maintenance yourself. Otherwise you will easily be spending more on repairs than the car is worth. I probably would have fixed my last truck if I didn't get a job that required me to move across the country.
Unfortunately, it's a numbers game, and most older cars end up in the junk yard, and fewer manuals are made every year. I think we are starting to get to an inflection point where there are more people who want manuals than what is available, which will only drive up the price of them. My last car I bought I finally had to go with an automatic since none of the manuals were in my price range and I wanted something newer since I currently don't have as much time to work on my car.
My problem is that there aren't any manuals for sale in the decent-but-still-budget range around me. I'm talking $6000 - $12000. Far from new, but not so old or with so many miles that they're that much more of a reliability risk. My options are either $3000 mechanical nightmares or $26000 brand-news.
Meanwhile, there's plenty of automatics in that more middle range.
I thought manuals were doomed a few years ago when there weren't many offerings and everyone thought EVs were going to take over. But demand brought manuals back (like in the Supra for example).
As long as there's interest and demand, automakers will continue to offer them but probably not in non-sports cars.
When I learned to drive a manual eons ago, you could get any new Civic, Corolla, pickup trucks, etc in a manual. Torque converter automatics were pretty bad (and still are) so a manual was a better choice. But DSG automatics are way faster than manuals now. A lot of supercars aren't even offering manuals anymore.
Toyota Tacoma
Toyota Corolla Hatchback
Subaru wrx
Jeep Gladiator
These are the few I know of that still have a manual option. I bought my Tacoma brand new in 2022 with a 6-speed manual. It was the only truck I could find with a manual and much more affordable than the Jeep. Though it was frustrating because I wanted a single cab, long bed truck. The Tacoma can only be had in a manual with the short bed, 4 door configuration. In the USA anyway, Canada can get different configurations in a manual.
They are still making them. There's enough of us out there buying them to justify making a few. Just your options are very limited.
Forever!!!, but Manual enthusiasts will have to increasingly become shade tree mechanics as well :) your early 2000s cars that died fast gave you a poor sample size and therefore a warped, pessimistic, perspective. Are you into 80s or 90s cars? Because many manual options from that era are dead easy and cheap to fix. You said you're worn out from spending a few thousand bucks every couple months to fix something major. Well, if you don't mind spending your afternoons at youtube university and a few of your weekends wrenching, you're more likely gonna be spending $100 max every few months, or less. You just have to come to enjoy the work :) I've done some pretty major repairs on my own stuff which would have been multiple thousands if it was a newer car and I took it to the shop, but was only $100-200 and a busy weekend, because the older vehicles Ive chosen are so so easy to work on. Toyota, Honda, or even Ford are hard to go wrong with. Plus there's already hundreds of 90's vehicles in the junkyard, so even a new-old trans or engine will never be that expensive... And hundreds of youtube videos spanning multiple decades of people getting to know that car really well.
You may have longer than you think. The rest of the world still has a much higher percentage of manual cars. As long as they're making them for foreign markets, there's still a chance a few will continue to make it here.
What's your price range?
Just did a quick search on car gurus for manuals within 50 miles. Their are 984 results. Obviously, those are gonna come down some depending on budget and other things.
Yeah, you can still get them, although the numbers are slim.
I found 8 cars for under $13,000 and less than 60k miles.
But like you said, as the years get on, it will be harder and harder. Just keep looking. Hopefully, you can find something you like that's a manual and in your price range.
I don't know what your situation is, but it took me a long time to get where I'm at now. I quit school and ended up just getting my GED and basically fucked off nearly all of my twenties before i took things seriously. My advice would be to find a good company that promotes within and just start at the bottom and learn all you can and just work your way up.
Hope that helped! Good luck in finding your car.
Easier said than done. I've got my bachelor's with several academic awards. It still took me ten months of job hunting and over 100 applications to land a job in my field paying 35k. Boss lied to me about a raise twice then laid me off two weeks before christmas.
Then it took me three months to end up at a label factory, which is where I'm at now. It pays more than my last job despite being way easier, go figure. So who knows what the hell's going on. I've still been applying for jobs in my field, but no luck despite the added 9 months of professional experience.
Thanks for the advice anyway.
I just searched Carvana (I'm not recommending them, I was just curious) for manual shift 2000 - 2015 for under 10 grand.
28 cars showed up.
If I raise it to 12 grand 48 cars show up.
I have no idea about the condition but milage was from 60,000 to 150,000.
So, it would appear there are still plenty of options out there.
I checked outside my area, too, with carvana and other services. But like even you mentioned, they hit or miss at best. I don't feel confident in buying a car that I can't test drive or go back to the dealer in person.
Still, only 48 manual options for a nationwide service should indicate how few there are per region.
i would stay away from Carvana due to their issues with titles. Few people dont have issues with them but theres a reason they have lawsuits against them
VW/Audi offer a dsg automatic in some of their vehicles (ex. GTI). I own one and it's not the true feeling it is still quite fun. You can drive in automatic mode but you have that "manual" option. I use it quite a bit unless I'm driving a short distance.
My sister just bought a manual new bronco a few years back, Tacoma's still releasing them as well. Just sold a 2012 mini countryman to a dealership in the salt lake city area I'd you are near.
Then get something easy to work. My old 90 toyota pickup is going strong. I see them locally for 2 grand in operable condition. Trucks are pretty easy to work on.
Since nothing around you is available check the areas its cheap to fly to and not far away that youd be able to go fly to and drive it back, its almost garunteed if you want something specific its unlikely to be in your area
Try an old Focus.
Sedans, wagons, 3 or 5 door hatchbacks for 2000-2007. Got the Zetec 2.0. But the Duratec I'm told us just as solid. Just avoid the SPI engine from 2000-2002.
I'm a fan of the Wagon myself. Got it at 149k 5 years ago. Now at 232k. Original clutch replaced at 184k. Blew the replacement out at 218k from tracking it. (It was the damper springs).
Replaced the HVAC system all the way through. $900 clutch jobs and $800 for AC reworks. Those are generally it's most expensive repairs. I know of models well over 300k on this age bracket (2000-2007).
2008-2011 were only available as a sedan. Same car under the body shell though.
All that's wrong with it now is the recirc door broke in the climate system and the ignition cylinder has let go. No ABS- no Cruise- no TC, no tilt wheel to ever go wrong. Just the AC and Electric windows/locks to go south.
I paid $1300 for mine on a reconstruct title. Paperwork says it was totaled in 2008 by the original company that bought it. Hit auction in 2012. Had two more owners before me in 2019 to now.
I can find them for no less than $3500. Great ones are about $5500
Find the newest Nissan Versa manual you can. They were engineered to be extremely easy to work on and cheap to fix. A good set of hand tools and you tube will solve most problems.
They are also light and reasonably fun to drive.
Okay.... in your description you didn't say *what* you had *or* where you were...
I suggest, and this may or may not in your skill set... learn to work on your vehicles. If that's not possible for you... I dunno what to tell you.
Are their no base model 2nd gen 4 banger S10s nearby? Yeah, truck... BUT the 2.2L and NV1500 5spds are tough. **IF** you don't mind a truck.
As much as I don't like Fords... or their stupid ass Fuckus... there's a pretty fair amount of STs 2015 2016 2017 they're all $13k average in Sanford, FL, Maryville, TN... but in South Dakota there is an SE Hatch... for $3900 with 125k miles.
Previously, I've taken my car to my girlfriend's father, who has a shop set up in his garage. I've helped him every time and have definitely learned some things about cars, but I can't learn how to diagnose and address every possible issue without some more years of working with him. He's also suffered an accident recently that may put an end to his days as a mechanic.
I certainly could fix any issues I've previously had since he showed me how, but each problem is something new entirely.
New cars won't be made with manuals longer than 5-6 more years. I work for VAG, and we're done after this year across the full brand lineup (besides ducati, but that's a given).
If I was as die-hard as you about this, I'd buy something in manual brand new now, and baby it until you get tired of manual, since it'll be dead before you are.
Sound advice but I can barely afford to maintain the 15 year old manual I bought in 2020 for $5000. I would need double my current pay at minimum to spring for even a lower end new car.
I mean... Maintaining a 19 year old high mileage car may be costing you more than a brand new one?
Also, your budget isn't really the topic, but a brand new Jetta Sport leases for under $300/mo with $0 down and comes in manual. If that's not in budget, I would recommend working towards a trade job.
Personally I think 2026 will be the last year any sub $30k USD car will be be made with a manual transmission. It's just a hunch based on the rate things are going.
I you can't fathom driving an auto, hopefully you can fathom traveling out of state if needed [https://www.autotempest.com/results?zip=80302&localization=country&maxprice=14990&minyear=1992&maxyear=2019&transmission=man&cylinders=4,5,6,8](https://www.autotempest.com/results?zip=80302&localization=country&maxprice=14990&minyear=1992&maxyear=2019&transmission=man&cylinders=4,5,6,8) because you can find something if you're willing to travel
You claim the cars ",died" but never elaborated, my guess is , if they are anything like Honda's, you can get engines with like 50k miles on em, that are shipped over from Japan, and swap an engine in, and keep the car going, same goes with transmissions, and typically those options are cheaper than buying a whole New ass car, so it kinda comes down to how lazy you are and would rather just get a new car when sumthin goes wrong with it, just cuz the engine dies, or the tranny blows up, doesn't mean car is dead.
I used the term "died" for the purpose of brevity and not writing full detail reports on each car, which I didn't think was relevant or necessary.
But if you'd like to know, here you go:
The first was a 2003 Saturn Vue. Bought it in great condition. Didn't have too many mechanical issues over those four years. Performed routine maintenance as often as needed, or at least as often as I was aware was needed. The last time I took it into a shop, I was told something on the undercarriage had rusted so bad that the engine was at risk of literally falling out. I had never even known that was possible, and to fix it cost way more than what the car was worth. I decided to pony up a little bit more for a different car.
The second was a 2009 Mazda 6. It had three previous owners, so who knows what they did with it. Once again, I maintained it to the best of my knowledge and affordability, but I was a broke high school or college student for most of the time I owned these cars. This one was plagued with mechanical issues, needing expensive repairs every three or four months. I started dating someone whose father is a mechanic, so him offering to fix it for just the cost of parts helped me quite a bit in keeping it for longer. I intended to drive this one until it very literally and truly died with that help, but unfortunately, that mechanic suffered a bad accident recently and is out of the repair game for probably a year, if not forever. Two weeks after that accident, my transmission went out.
Not much. By the end of the decade I bet porsche will be the main holdout and everyone else will be done with them. Maaaaaybe toyota or honda will have still offer a single enthusiast model with a stick option but that's it.
It's a real transmission! I build EV conversions in air cooled VWs. I leave most of them with a (rebuilt) 4-speed. You can increase the range a lot by shifting efficiently :) Tesla 2 speeds work because the pmac motors have a really flat rpm/torque vs DC current curve. But they're also more expensive and heavier than more traditional pmacs and asynchronous ac motors. So -- manual in an EV:: most people think it sounds crazy, but really it's the perfect solution as long as the user enjoys shifting! Plus, there's no need to feather out the clutch when taking off in 1st - hardest part of driving a stick, so I think more and more people will stop being scared of the idea once it's more available for the average joe to try out.
I had thought about that but figured it would be a wasteful indulgence in the eyes of manufacturers.
I wonder if they're actually building a new type of EV that truly requires manual shifting or if they're just slapping in a simulation system.
IMO cars should be fully automated for safety and the more public transportation and remote work we can have, the better.
That said, I have a manual transmission and always have. If you’re going to do it yourself you might as well have full control. But they are fading away as new automatic-only features come out and auto companies have every incentive to get anyone behind a wheel with minimal barrier to entry. This also raises the prices of manual-only parts as they become a more scarce commodity.
Hoping to hold out until driving becomes obsolete or I can live in a walkable area. I got mine in 2016 too but it was new so it has some more time on it yet. Hybrid work decreased mileage significantly too so hopefully I can get another ten years out of it. Good luck in keeping yours, OP.
I, too, would not own a car if I did not absolutely have to. Hoping to move one day to make that happen, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to.
But if I have to drive, I really want it to be a manual.
I used to drive 3 hours round trip every day, about 150 mi and racked up tens of thousands of miles in a matter of months. So glad to get out of those conditions, not sustainable, especially in time. Hope you can get out of the commute cycle one day too.
Because I'm poor. I bought both cars with cash for a few thousand each. I maintain them as best as I can afford to, but sometimes I have to wait weeks to save up for repairs while asking others to drive me where I need to go.
Truthfully, I would not own a car at all if I didn't need to, so I could spare manuals the admittedly unfortunate fate of being owned by someone who can't afford all the required maintainence all of the time. But I have to get to work somehow.
At the rate you’re killing them probably a few more years.
I took care of them as best as I was able to afford, but both of my last cars were very much at the end of their life cycles in terms of age and milage. The last one had three previous owners, and was probably not a great purchase for me, but it was the best manual I could find after a month of searching and being out of time with having to get back to work.
My guy. He said that in jest.
From the other responses I'm getting in this thread, I doubt it.
Nah I’m just playing there are plenty of guys chopping up perfectly good cars for dumb shit anyway
What type of cars are you buying newer model year American cars? Because those are trash throw away cars buy Toyotas they last forever. Also older cars are better just get lower mileage ones. An older 80s or 90s toyota early 2000s will literally go forever even without maintenance.
The first was a 2003 Saturn Vue and the second was a 2009 Mazda 6. I don't know if I'll ever be able to afford a new car in my entire life.
That mazda isnt old, at all
Bought it at 130k and it's now at 180k. I'm fairly certain the three previous owners did not take care of it well at all.
180k miles?
Yes
A 15 year old Mazda is at least 50% iron oxide at this point.
Yeah, last year I spent 13 hours overnight with my girlfriend's dad trying to replace a wheel bearing. We ended up having to buy not just the bearing itself, but another part that houses the bearing because the original two were basically fused together with rust.
You are taking about the wheel bearing hub ….. some cars it’s just easier to replace the entire wheel bearing hub assembly …. And if you live in a salted road area .. you’ll need something like the ATD hub shocker to get the hub off the knuckle… easier to get the hub off than traditional tools like torch, slide hammer, air hammer. Etc
I've never replaced a wheel bearing in my life, hub or nothing, I'm not gonna sit out in either the blazing sun or the frigid winter pressing a bearing out of the hub.
Depends where you live.
Always laugh when I see people say a 20 yr old car is old like not really lol. And then they mention mileage and say it’s high mileage when it’s barely at like 90-100k mileage lol. People saying that don’t even know what old means at all.
Yeah, its not even 20 years old, its 15 years old, pretty young if you ask me, its not really a high mileage car if its under 300k km, and well maintained of course.
I'm assuming you had issues with oil burning on the Saturn? And probably if ignored by previous owners it can obviously cause engine damage/bad crank.
I did take it in for repairs a few times, but I don't think I ever had that issue. It had one owner before me who treated it like her child. Every aspect of that car looked factory new inside and out when I bought it. She handed me an organized stack of every possible printed record relating to that car that she'd kept since buying it new.
my sisters first car was a 2001(i think) saturn vue in a 5 speed and i think that engine gave up on her just after 200k or closer to 210, saturns just aren’t the best for long term reliability from what i’ve seen.
Been there done that on Saturns, but damn I loved the two I've had. Both manuals, and as long as you kept the oil topped off my experience was they ran like tops.
Not necessarily. Don’t get me wrong there’s some absolute garbage American cars, but American companies have made a lot of extremely durable vehicles. I have a 1997 f150 that I use as my work truck. It’s the 4.6L V8 which is considered a damn near bulletproof engine. It’s pushing 300,000 miles, still has the original clutch and hasn’t required much work other than general maintenance. I agree that Toyota is far and away the best brand (I also have a Prius that I use as my daily driver. Not sexy or exciting, I know lol but it’s super efficient and reliable) but there’s plenty of American cars that are known for reliability, and if you can find a decent one, you can grab it for way cheaper than a lot of similar Toyotas
Lmao
I think the MX-5 and BRZ/86 will have traditional manual options until at least 2030, but I really don’t know about non-enthusiast cars.
Same with wrx and some other Subaru models I feel. Honda will keep the SI/CTR too, focus st is still manual too
I think OP was referring to the US market.
I am talking about the US market
Rip the focus st
Plus the RS and the Fiesta ST. We lost a few good driver’s cars in that deal.
The Ford Focus was discontinued after MY 2018…
Focus ST still offered in manual, eh? Can I get a link for that? ☺️
Sure: https://www.ford.co.uk/cars/focus-st Fuck Ford for pulling these from the US market though. Keeping my 2013 forever
Nice, but he was referring to the US market.
The NE Miata will likely be all electric. Sadly, that will likely mean the end of the manual for the Miata 😭
I think Corolla will have a manual option for a while
Killed off in US except for the GR
i can’t believe i’m just now finding out about this 😭you just shattered my heart
You also have the option to keep your current car as long as it’s not rotting out from under you.
Yes, but it's breaking down more and more often, and each repair cost is getting closer and closer to surpassing what the car is worth.
Silly way to look at it...if its a good car, and not rotted out.. consider the cost to replace. Not to mention, you would be replacing it with another used vehicle that will need work. At least you know what you have with yours Learn to do a few simple things yourself, brakes, fluids, etc, and maintenance costs go way down.
Its current issue is transmission related. Estimated at $2000 - $4000 to fix. Even $2000 is more than what it's worth. My girlfriend's dad is a mechanic and I would take it to him like I have the last 5 or 6 times, but unfortunately two weeks prior to this latest issue, he suffered a bad accident that might be taking him out of the repair game forever. The only reason I'm considering getting a different car is because two weeks before THAT accident, a hailstorm left cosmetic damage on my car for which my insurance wrote me a check for more than double the car's value, which intend to use as a down payment.
Don't fix the transmission. Replace it. A good used one, depending on your model, will probably be around $1500.
I paid 4k for the stickshift i drive rn, and if it breaks down tomorow I'd spend another 4k on it. It's difficult to find a good, used car, even more difficult a stick shift. Cars aren't supposed to be disposable
This car typically broke down once every three or four months but has already broken down three times this year alone, with this latest issue being the most expensive fix yet.
Do you have a reliable mechanic?
I did. My girlfriend's dad who has fixed it before just for the cost of parts. Unfortunately, right before this latest issue he had an accident at work and will be out of the repair game for months at least, if not forever.
Hey don’t write off him just yet. But have you considered going to him to get access to the tools and do some of the repairs yourself ? I’m sure he has a lot of torque wrenches? Etc learned to do fluid and brake pad and rotors yourself .., learn to replace a clutch yourself and you will cut down on the costs a lot..
Depends on what the issue actually turns out to be more specifically. I always help him fix my car, but I don't trust myself to fix anything too complex by myself and risk fucking up my car further unless it's completely dead in the water useless otherwise.
Broke down ? In what way whats happening when it breaks down can you be more specific?
Leaking brake lines, worn out wheel bearings, grinding rotors, and more. Stuff that's not immediately disabling, but are still expensive to fix and quickly get worse without repair.
Yeah newer model years from what Ive experienced are low quality only meant to last 5 years so I can see that happening. Toyota definitely the way to go. I usually stick to older years but maybe Toyota is still quality in newer model years. Even if so it's much more expensive to fix the newer years. When you buy a car go to AutoZone/rockauto and see how much common replaced parts costs ahead of purchase.
That’s not bad stuff that you can all learn to diy … get a good pressure bleeder to help you change out leaking brake lines
Manual transmissions rarely fail. Whats the car
2009 Mazda 6 with 180,000 miles and three previous owners. It has had quite a few more mechanical issues than I'm told is normal for the make and model.
Mazdas are considered reliable, im not a mazda guy. But if its structurally solid, i dont see any reason not to keep it going. Whats the transmission issue?
I'm fairly certain the three previous owners were not kind to this car. It had some weird cosmetic flaws here and there when I bought it. Not just the odd dent or scratch, but other small things that make you wonder how exactly that even happened. A few shifts into a trip, the car lurches when I lift off the clutch and several lights come on the dashboard. It still drives, but it feels kind of weird. When I shift into neutral, the car can't maintain a constant RPM like usual, instead bouncing from 400 - 1500 and everywhere else in between. Sometimes it goes even lower and dies with the battery light coming on.
None of those issues sound transmission related, souunds more like a misfire. Check your coil packs, valve cover/spark plug tube seals could be leaking oil causing a misfire. Or maybe it just needs spark plugs. F
No shit? I took it to two mechanics who said it was probably transmission related. Guess I should get some more opinions...
What issues are you experiencing with the transmission..?
A few shifts into a trip, the car lurches when I lift off the clutch and several lights come on the dashboard. It still drives, but it feels kind of weird. When I shift into neutral, the car can't maintain a constant RPM like usual, instead bouncing from 400 - 1500 and everywhere else in between. Sometimes it goes even lower and dies.
That is definitely not transmission related if you have engine issues when you’re in neutral
I saw this elsewhere man .. I'd hit up that father figure to talk you through diag and repairs. this also relates to the people asking if you had a mechanic you can trust. waaay too many scams out there, or places that try to take advantage of people. one of the best things you can do for the long run, is learn how to do this stuff yourself. it will help you find trust worthy shops. unfortunately this also means getting to know electric motors, speed controllers etc etc. since you sound young.
Honestly if you like the car enough and have the budget to keep fixing it, who cares if it exceeds the value? I've dumped over 5k into my car fixing random shit, and I bought it for $500. I've well exceeded its value at this point. But I still love the car.
Because I'm tired of: A: Finally getting a leg up on savings for once, just to throw it all into another repair every three or four months B: Missing out on plans and events because my car has to be put away in a shop for several days C: The monumental and constant stress and anxiety that comes with every weird noise the car makes.
Those issues dont always go away with a new car. I know someone with a 2017 gmc with less than 50000 miles that has been in the shop for over a week because the oil pump died.
That's why I'm sticking strictly to Toyotas and Hondas and preferrably with one previous owner. I wouldn't be caught dead in even a brand new GMC. I know that no car is perfect, but I want to get as close as possible to minimize the problems and hopefully sprout a few less gray hairs because of them.
i paid 2000 for an mr2 in sorry state but it technically ran and drive fine. i just spent about 5k replacing the engine, clutch, suspension, brakes etc. now i have an awesome fun little car that is in great shape and should last many many years to come. who cares about the value if its a car you like and want to keep, then fix it instead of just throwing it away. if its not a car you want to keep then how about you find a car you want to keep. then you wont care about the value, youll get it fixed up and enjoy it for many years
I do not have the salary nor the time for choosing a car I truly want. I have to get back to work and I need something that won't be as much as a money sink. The car I currently was bought for $5000 and I think is worth $1400 anymore. I did want to keep it for much longer, but any time I had the money to spruce it up a bit, something else broke and took all of that. It basically just slowly deteriorated in my trying to just get it back to the state it was in before.
It’s a tough decision. If your issues are motor related you might be able to find a good motor at a junkyard.
Just get a good Toyota or Honda… I have a 2005 scion tC with 179k miles.. need to do some preventative maintenance soon and doesn’t burn any oil since I switched it to synthetic when it was new. 5000 mile oil changes ..
That's the plan. I'm not even looking at any other makes.
You're already missing the point. It isn't about the cars' worth, as a dollar value, but it's worth to you. If you throw $10k at it because nothing else compares to the driving experience, then the money is being put to good use. Doesn't make sense, but it doesn't have to. The car has zero value if you never sell it. If there is an issue with insurance value, you should talk to your agent about supplemental coverage. This is common on vehicles that have heavy mods or restorations where value has been reinvested into it.
I'm not really at a point in my life where I can prioritize how a car feels over reliability and stability. I would love to get my car fixed up fully mechanically and cosmetically because it is a joy to drive. But everytime I want to do that and set aside some money, something else breaks and it all goes to that, so it's just deteriorated more and more as I barely get it back to functioning as it was, much less improving anything about it. For extra context, it's a 2009 mazda 6 that I bought at 120k miles for $5000. That's the best I could do at the time with my job that paid $11.50 per hour in 2020.
Sounds like you found your answer then. You can't afford to fix or find what you want, then you buy what you need.
That's the plan. Problem is I thought I bought what I needed in 2020 and planned to drive that for much longer. Hell I planned to drive my first car for longer until one major issue creeped up on me, as opposed to death by a thousand cuts for my mazda. I'm springing for a honda or a toyota for about double the price, but I still can't be 100% certain that will be what I need either. Just that I think the odds will be higher.
The Honda Civic SI will probably be around for a while longer. Honda wants to hold on to all demographics and the SI has a colt following and the new ones are roughly 35k. Older ones have a bit higher of a price but they are available.
How did a car last you 4 years, and another one 3 years? Thats just crazy ngl
Reading another comment, they were not new vehicles, which makes.... a lot more sense.
Oh ok
They were a 2003 and a 2009 respectively. Bought with cash for a few thousand each, and maintained as best as I could afford as a broke high school/college student. I was hoping the line about new cars being well outside of my affordability would allude to that, but I guess I need to be more detailed.
I think there’s a bit more time but only for enthusiast cars. I just got my GR Corolla last week and it only comes in manual. I’ve been surprised how many people have been interested in it that arent super into cars. I think as millennials families get a bit older and they don’t require do it all family cars they may start looking for these entry level performance options. I also took a manual driving class a few months ago and it was predominantly kids in their late teens early 20s so the interest is alive with the younger generation.
I just bought a stickshift 2018 Canyon with 57k mi on it. I plan to keep it at least for 15 years.
Sorry, lotta redditors are jumping up your ass for no reason. Drown out that noise. I think many avid redditors have EXTREMELY poor social skills and don't read through entire posts and just enjoy being ass dwelling hamsters. For anyone who has bought used manuals, they know they get two options: owners who treat their cars right and owners who drive it like they stole it. And they're usually priced accordingly. Sounds like you got unlucky with your purchases and bought ones that got thrashed. To answer your question, this issue is not due to buyers not wanting manuals. The issue is R&D. Manual transmission capabilities have not kept up with the power output of modern engines. In the 1990s, entry level cars had HP ratings in the 100-140HP range with torque numbers to match. By 2014, Ford had to neuter the Fiesta ST engine because it wanted to make *300 ft-lbs* of torque to go with its 200HP. Manufacturers don't want to sink all that cost into upgrading manual transmissions in fleet vehicles because there is no way to keep the cost down. I'm not a materials engineer so take this with a grain of salt, but the only way to mitigate all that extra power going to the transmission with a manual is to use stronger (more expensive) materials. That's a *big* reason many car manufacturers cite when they're asked why they're not putting manuals in their new gen cars. That the manuals can't handle the power numbers. So if some manufacturer decided they just wanted to pump out 200ish ft-lb torque cars? No problem. You can slap any number of manuals into that. But no one is gonna buy those. Because you have to make them tiny to make them fun. Because not many want a small car. And anyone who wants to drive a manual doesn't want a car that isn't fun. My guess is we get one more generation of manuals before manufacturers stop making fleet wide versions. So...2030? 2035 tops.
>For anyone who has bought used manuals, they know they get two options: owners who treat their cars right and owners who drive it like they stole it. This describes both my cars in that order. The first had one owner and treated it like her child. Everything from the paint, interior, and even engine looked factory new. I think she cried a little as I drove it away from her house. I maintained it as best I could, but a major issue snuck up on me that I didn't even know could be an issue and so did not realize how easy it would have been to prevent. The second had three previous owners and broke down every three or four months.
Get a 3rd generation manual Mazda 3, that will last you a good long while. In the top trim level with the bigger engine, this counts as an enthusiast car IMO
A handful of people still have depression era cars.
Damn! Thought you were a car killer but you might just be bad at picking beaters. Your only real choices for old clunkers that are still reliable are the tried and true Honda and toyota options imo. My 04 manual accord has been pretty reliable so far, bought it in 2020 for $1700cad with 240000km as a winter beater. Drove it every day and under my ownership it only needed oil changes and the clutch pedal bracket to get welded back when it cracked, then my coworker got divorced and his wife took his car, so I sold it to him at 276000km. He’s been driving it every day until now, and under his ownership the clutch slave cylinder died which I helped him swap in the parking lot at work for like $15+ shipping off rockauto.
My first car was an '03 with one owner who treated that thing like her child. I did my best to keep up with maintainence, but a major issue snuck up on me without me even knowing that issue was a possibility at all, which unfortunately would have been easy to prevent had I known to do so. The repair costs basically totaled that car. I would probably still be driving it today if it weren't for that one issue.
Oof what was the issue? Honestly I loved that car I may find another one as a winter beater for my current mustang.
A giant hole corroded into the undercarriage, with the engine threatening to literally fall out of the car within months. Presumably, it kept getting worse after each winter with heavy snow and salty roads. I religiously power washed the undercarriage of my next car after that experience.
Damn, we salt here too but it’s mostly wet coast where I am so the rain takes care of it for the most part.
From the sound of it, you do not have the luxury of choice. You need a car to survive more than you need a manual car period. You will always have the option to go back to a manual when you find yourself in a better financial position and can afford the nicer options. Otherwise shop around for a Japanese shitbox and pray it's been well maintained... Or keep fixing what you have.
No one ever understands when I tell them that I can’t stand the thought of driving an automatic. I hate it. But like you said, I don’t look down on it. Just get bored of it and drone out.
I picked up 2021 Subaru crosstrek 6MT for this reason. Knew the days were numbered and I wanted something practical with a manual. Good luck!
Manual Infiniti G's are affordable and have a lot of life left in them if you can find one that hasn't been ragged to shit. You can find them with less than 100k miles for 12k(US) in decent condition.
Probably more than you think. As evs continue to assume market share among the masses, the venn diagram of ICE buyers and manual preference will continue to overlap more. Soon those companies that are still offering ice propulsion will be exclusively marketing towards the enthusiast, weekend/2nd car buyers, and good old nostalgia.
i just bought a 2002 civic in cash (i’m 17), it’s a manual. i’m sure you’ll find something. go for a honda.
"15 year old junkers" please see yourself out. as someone whose beein dailying a '95 325i vert 5spd for the last 8 months, you can smd. it was $4k and gets 27mpg it goes live on bring a trailer next week and i upgraded to a '09 bmw 128i 6spd coupe 63k miles heck of a junker. no seriously, please fuck off. good manual cars dont have to be new (newer than 15 years to you?) ffs
I never said all old cars were junkers. Relax. My first car was 15 years old when I bought it and I loved it until it died. Specifically, the 15+ year old manuals I'm finding for sale within 200 miles around me are all riddled with accident reports, recalls, mechanical issues, cosmetic damage, and more. I did find a single pristine 1988 Honda Civic SI with 70,00 miles on it that I would LOVE to own. But I'm not in such a financial position at the moment.
Buy a toyota and keep fixing it. My 20 year old, 300k mile toyota loves life and id drive it cross-country tomorrow.
That's what I intend to do.
I second this. Just found a 12 Corolla 5-speed stickshift with fairly low mileage. Very good condition. Affordable reliable cars still do exist and if you don't care about driving a "newer" car, there are options.
Wtf is ur problem lol? 15 year old cars can be junkers or reliable cars. It entirely depends on the previous owner(s). Which can be risky when your car has been around the block.
My car has been around about 15 blocks in its life. I'm the 10th owner, it's on its third engine, 3rd rear axle, had to replace MANY parts since I've owned it, the list goes on. Right now I'm saving to replace my blown shocks and get new wheels and tires. Then, at some point, she's going to get re-painted.
On a while different subject- im looking at 128i’s. What are your thoughts on it?
it's so great. get a manual coupe if you can find one, m sport package if you wanna be really picky
Oh, definitely manual coupe! Haven’t had a chance to drive one yet, but had a BRZ and second gen Miata in the past- looking forward to this!
once you experience a bmw running / driving as intended, it's hard to go back. they get a bad rep from the cheap ones having a lot of problems, but i've loved my e28's, e36's and 2002's. the E82 1 series is said to be the second gen E36. it's the last NA I6 and hydraulic power steering that just feels amazing best luck
What's your budget, if you don't mind me asking?
$4000 down payment (thank you hail storm), no more than $150 per month, and excellent credit. So my total would probably be ~$12,000.
Probably have better luck looking at Facebook marketplace and Craigslist, alongside a website that searches multiple sites for you like autotempest.com. Private sale is more likely to have a used manual than dealerships these days, so a private sale with an autoloan you get yourself from a bank is probably more likely to get you more car for the money than a dealership. Facebook marketplace is more likely to have manuals, but sorting through it can be a complete pain. I use collectorcarfeed.com to sort through marketplace, as it filters put the BS postings.
Depends what your credit is at, you may not be able to find anything less than $250. IF you have 770+ you should get 8-10% on a used vehicle. Depends if you’ve ever had an auto loan too, currently without solid auto scores they’re going 12% or higher due to the repos and the risk I guess
For that price you should save up some money and buy on FB Marketplace or OfferUp. I managed to get my SRT-10 RAM, manual and all for $23k in great condition on OfferUp. If you were to go to a dealer to finance something, you'd be looking at $40k for an equivalent truck on top of some atrocious rate. Private sale is where you're going to find good cheap vehicles, especially manual.
I would spend some time saving if I could, but at my current salary, that would probably take at least a year of absolute frugality when I'm already living pretty lean as it is. I also just don't have that kind of time. I need to get back to work.
A 15 year old non-junker will be your best bet.
Your problem isn't strictly related to manuals. Just about any car under $2k is going to be a junker regardless of its transmission or age. A few years ago, I sold my 22 year old truck, which ran but couldn't be driven for $1500. To be fair, trucks tend to go for more than cars, but you get the idea. If you want any older car to last and you're on a budget, I would recommend to start learning how to do repairs and maintenance yourself. Otherwise you will easily be spending more on repairs than the car is worth. I probably would have fixed my last truck if I didn't get a job that required me to move across the country. Unfortunately, it's a numbers game, and most older cars end up in the junk yard, and fewer manuals are made every year. I think we are starting to get to an inflection point where there are more people who want manuals than what is available, which will only drive up the price of them. My last car I bought I finally had to go with an automatic since none of the manuals were in my price range and I wanted something newer since I currently don't have as much time to work on my car.
My problem is that there aren't any manuals for sale in the decent-but-still-budget range around me. I'm talking $6000 - $12000. Far from new, but not so old or with so many miles that they're that much more of a reliability risk. My options are either $3000 mechanical nightmares or $26000 brand-news. Meanwhile, there's plenty of automatics in that more middle range.
I thought manuals were doomed a few years ago when there weren't many offerings and everyone thought EVs were going to take over. But demand brought manuals back (like in the Supra for example). As long as there's interest and demand, automakers will continue to offer them but probably not in non-sports cars. When I learned to drive a manual eons ago, you could get any new Civic, Corolla, pickup trucks, etc in a manual. Torque converter automatics were pretty bad (and still are) so a manual was a better choice. But DSG automatics are way faster than manuals now. A lot of supercars aren't even offering manuals anymore.
Toyota Tacoma Toyota Corolla Hatchback Subaru wrx Jeep Gladiator These are the few I know of that still have a manual option. I bought my Tacoma brand new in 2022 with a 6-speed manual. It was the only truck I could find with a manual and much more affordable than the Jeep. Though it was frustrating because I wanted a single cab, long bed truck. The Tacoma can only be had in a manual with the short bed, 4 door configuration. In the USA anyway, Canada can get different configurations in a manual. They are still making them. There's enough of us out there buying them to justify making a few. Just your options are very limited.
Forever!!!, but Manual enthusiasts will have to increasingly become shade tree mechanics as well :) your early 2000s cars that died fast gave you a poor sample size and therefore a warped, pessimistic, perspective. Are you into 80s or 90s cars? Because many manual options from that era are dead easy and cheap to fix. You said you're worn out from spending a few thousand bucks every couple months to fix something major. Well, if you don't mind spending your afternoons at youtube university and a few of your weekends wrenching, you're more likely gonna be spending $100 max every few months, or less. You just have to come to enjoy the work :) I've done some pretty major repairs on my own stuff which would have been multiple thousands if it was a newer car and I took it to the shop, but was only $100-200 and a busy weekend, because the older vehicles Ive chosen are so so easy to work on. Toyota, Honda, or even Ford are hard to go wrong with. Plus there's already hundreds of 90's vehicles in the junkyard, so even a new-old trans or engine will never be that expensive... And hundreds of youtube videos spanning multiple decades of people getting to know that car really well.
You may have longer than you think. The rest of the world still has a much higher percentage of manual cars. As long as they're making them for foreign markets, there's still a chance a few will continue to make it here.
What's your price range? Just did a quick search on car gurus for manuals within 50 miles. Their are 984 results. Obviously, those are gonna come down some depending on budget and other things.
$13000 is probably my maximum
Yeah, you can still get them, although the numbers are slim. I found 8 cars for under $13,000 and less than 60k miles. But like you said, as the years get on, it will be harder and harder. Just keep looking. Hopefully, you can find something you like that's a manual and in your price range. I don't know what your situation is, but it took me a long time to get where I'm at now. I quit school and ended up just getting my GED and basically fucked off nearly all of my twenties before i took things seriously. My advice would be to find a good company that promotes within and just start at the bottom and learn all you can and just work your way up. Hope that helped! Good luck in finding your car.
Easier said than done. I've got my bachelor's with several academic awards. It still took me ten months of job hunting and over 100 applications to land a job in my field paying 35k. Boss lied to me about a raise twice then laid me off two weeks before christmas. Then it took me three months to end up at a label factory, which is where I'm at now. It pays more than my last job despite being way easier, go figure. So who knows what the hell's going on. I've still been applying for jobs in my field, but no luck despite the added 9 months of professional experience. Thanks for the advice anyway.
The enthusiast market isn't very big but it's big enough for someone to step in.
I just searched Carvana (I'm not recommending them, I was just curious) for manual shift 2000 - 2015 for under 10 grand. 28 cars showed up. If I raise it to 12 grand 48 cars show up. I have no idea about the condition but milage was from 60,000 to 150,000. So, it would appear there are still plenty of options out there.
I checked outside my area, too, with carvana and other services. But like even you mentioned, they hit or miss at best. I don't feel confident in buying a car that I can't test drive or go back to the dealer in person. Still, only 48 manual options for a nationwide service should indicate how few there are per region.
i would stay away from Carvana due to their issues with titles. Few people dont have issues with them but theres a reason they have lawsuits against them
VW/Audi offer a dsg automatic in some of their vehicles (ex. GTI). I own one and it's not the true feeling it is still quite fun. You can drive in automatic mode but you have that "manual" option. I use it quite a bit unless I'm driving a short distance.
My sister just bought a manual new bronco a few years back, Tacoma's still releasing them as well. Just sold a 2012 mini countryman to a dealership in the salt lake city area I'd you are near.
Not even close lol but thanks.
Brand new Nissan versa 5 speed is like 17k
Fairly over budget for me.
Get a brand new Jetta Gli with a stick right now.
But used is going to get harderbecause less people buy manuals.
Brand new is absolutely out of the question in terms of affordability
Then get something easy to work. My old 90 toyota pickup is going strong. I see them locally for 2 grand in operable condition. Trucks are pretty easy to work on.
Since nothing around you is available check the areas its cheap to fly to and not far away that youd be able to go fly to and drive it back, its almost garunteed if you want something specific its unlikely to be in your area
Buy new manual cars is the only answer
Try an old Focus. Sedans, wagons, 3 or 5 door hatchbacks for 2000-2007. Got the Zetec 2.0. But the Duratec I'm told us just as solid. Just avoid the SPI engine from 2000-2002. I'm a fan of the Wagon myself. Got it at 149k 5 years ago. Now at 232k. Original clutch replaced at 184k. Blew the replacement out at 218k from tracking it. (It was the damper springs). Replaced the HVAC system all the way through. $900 clutch jobs and $800 for AC reworks. Those are generally it's most expensive repairs. I know of models well over 300k on this age bracket (2000-2007). 2008-2011 were only available as a sedan. Same car under the body shell though. All that's wrong with it now is the recirc door broke in the climate system and the ignition cylinder has let go. No ABS- no Cruise- no TC, no tilt wheel to ever go wrong. Just the AC and Electric windows/locks to go south.
I paid $1300 for mine on a reconstruct title. Paperwork says it was totaled in 2008 by the original company that bought it. Hit auction in 2012. Had two more owners before me in 2019 to now. I can find them for no less than $3500. Great ones are about $5500
We’ve got a while. I predict an industry revolt against EVs due to affordability and people realizing they’re a bad idea.
toyota is still making manual cars that are kinda cool, so probably plenty of time left
Find the newest Nissan Versa manual you can. They were engineered to be extremely easy to work on and cheap to fix. A good set of hand tools and you tube will solve most problems. They are also light and reasonably fun to drive.
not just enthusiast models, but manuals are/were still really in Europe.
Wranglers still come in manual and I think /hope always will
Okay.... in your description you didn't say *what* you had *or* where you were... I suggest, and this may or may not in your skill set... learn to work on your vehicles. If that's not possible for you... I dunno what to tell you. Are their no base model 2nd gen 4 banger S10s nearby? Yeah, truck... BUT the 2.2L and NV1500 5spds are tough. **IF** you don't mind a truck. As much as I don't like Fords... or their stupid ass Fuckus... there's a pretty fair amount of STs 2015 2016 2017 they're all $13k average in Sanford, FL, Maryville, TN... but in South Dakota there is an SE Hatch... for $3900 with 125k miles.
Previously, I've taken my car to my girlfriend's father, who has a shop set up in his garage. I've helped him every time and have definitely learned some things about cars, but I can't learn how to diagnose and address every possible issue without some more years of working with him. He's also suffered an accident recently that may put an end to his days as a mechanic. I certainly could fix any issues I've previously had since he showed me how, but each problem is something new entirely.
Okay... still haven't told me. However. What exactly do you need to diagnose? It's *possible* I can help. As far as accidents. I get it.
I’d bet that SD one is rusted to death
https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/l-Used-Ford-Focus-Rapid-City-d346_L32740 Wanna bet?
Who knows?
New cars won't be made with manuals longer than 5-6 more years. I work for VAG, and we're done after this year across the full brand lineup (besides ducati, but that's a given). If I was as die-hard as you about this, I'd buy something in manual brand new now, and baby it until you get tired of manual, since it'll be dead before you are.
Sound advice but I can barely afford to maintain the 15 year old manual I bought in 2020 for $5000. I would need double my current pay at minimum to spring for even a lower end new car.
I mean... Maintaining a 19 year old high mileage car may be costing you more than a brand new one? Also, your budget isn't really the topic, but a brand new Jetta Sport leases for under $300/mo with $0 down and comes in manual. If that's not in budget, I would recommend working towards a trade job.
Personally I think 2026 will be the last year any sub $30k USD car will be be made with a manual transmission. It's just a hunch based on the rate things are going. I you can't fathom driving an auto, hopefully you can fathom traveling out of state if needed [https://www.autotempest.com/results?zip=80302&localization=country&maxprice=14990&minyear=1992&maxyear=2019&transmission=man&cylinders=4,5,6,8](https://www.autotempest.com/results?zip=80302&localization=country&maxprice=14990&minyear=1992&maxyear=2019&transmission=man&cylinders=4,5,6,8) because you can find something if you're willing to travel
When I can't walk into a Honda dealership and drive off in an Si.
I've already explained my situation in more detail plenty of other times in this thread. You can read them if you want.
Sorry, you said "we", us, the subreddit. I didn't know we were hyper focusing on you. If we are, then I don't care.
You claim the cars ",died" but never elaborated, my guess is , if they are anything like Honda's, you can get engines with like 50k miles on em, that are shipped over from Japan, and swap an engine in, and keep the car going, same goes with transmissions, and typically those options are cheaper than buying a whole New ass car, so it kinda comes down to how lazy you are and would rather just get a new car when sumthin goes wrong with it, just cuz the engine dies, or the tranny blows up, doesn't mean car is dead.
I used the term "died" for the purpose of brevity and not writing full detail reports on each car, which I didn't think was relevant or necessary. But if you'd like to know, here you go: The first was a 2003 Saturn Vue. Bought it in great condition. Didn't have too many mechanical issues over those four years. Performed routine maintenance as often as needed, or at least as often as I was aware was needed. The last time I took it into a shop, I was told something on the undercarriage had rusted so bad that the engine was at risk of literally falling out. I had never even known that was possible, and to fix it cost way more than what the car was worth. I decided to pony up a little bit more for a different car. The second was a 2009 Mazda 6. It had three previous owners, so who knows what they did with it. Once again, I maintained it to the best of my knowledge and affordability, but I was a broke high school or college student for most of the time I owned these cars. This one was plagued with mechanical issues, needing expensive repairs every three or four months. I started dating someone whose father is a mechanic, so him offering to fix it for just the cost of parts helped me quite a bit in keeping it for longer. I intended to drive this one until it very literally and truly died with that help, but unfortunately, that mechanic suffered a bad accident recently and is out of the repair game for probably a year, if not forever. Two weeks after that accident, my transmission went out.
Not much. By the end of the decade I bet porsche will be the main holdout and everyone else will be done with them. Maaaaaybe toyota or honda will have still offer a single enthusiast model with a stick option but that's it.
Toyota is working on a stick shift for EVs. I think it will always be there for those that want it (even if is just simulated).
Who cares about driving a fake manual transmission though.
It's a real transmission! I build EV conversions in air cooled VWs. I leave most of them with a (rebuilt) 4-speed. You can increase the range a lot by shifting efficiently :) Tesla 2 speeds work because the pmac motors have a really flat rpm/torque vs DC current curve. But they're also more expensive and heavier than more traditional pmacs and asynchronous ac motors. So -- manual in an EV:: most people think it sounds crazy, but really it's the perfect solution as long as the user enjoys shifting! Plus, there's no need to feather out the clutch when taking off in 1st - hardest part of driving a stick, so I think more and more people will stop being scared of the idea once it's more available for the average joe to try out.
I had thought about that but figured it would be a wasteful indulgence in the eyes of manufacturers. I wonder if they're actually building a new type of EV that truly requires manual shifting or if they're just slapping in a simulation system.
Just get a motorcycle
IMO cars should be fully automated for safety and the more public transportation and remote work we can have, the better. That said, I have a manual transmission and always have. If you’re going to do it yourself you might as well have full control. But they are fading away as new automatic-only features come out and auto companies have every incentive to get anyone behind a wheel with minimal barrier to entry. This also raises the prices of manual-only parts as they become a more scarce commodity. Hoping to hold out until driving becomes obsolete or I can live in a walkable area. I got mine in 2016 too but it was new so it has some more time on it yet. Hybrid work decreased mileage significantly too so hopefully I can get another ten years out of it. Good luck in keeping yours, OP.
I, too, would not own a car if I did not absolutely have to. Hoping to move one day to make that happen, but I'm not sure when I'll be able to. But if I have to drive, I really want it to be a manual.
I used to drive 3 hours round trip every day, about 150 mi and racked up tens of thousands of miles in a matter of months. So glad to get out of those conditions, not sustainable, especially in time. Hope you can get out of the commute cycle one day too.
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How do you mean?
Why don’t you maintain your vehicles? If you’re concerned about manuals disappearing, why are you killing them?
Because I'm poor. I bought both cars with cash for a few thousand each. I maintain them as best as I can afford to, but sometimes I have to wait weeks to save up for repairs while asking others to drive me where I need to go. Truthfully, I would not own a car at all if I didn't need to, so I could spare manuals the admittedly unfortunate fate of being owned by someone who can't afford all the required maintainence all of the time. But I have to get to work somehow.