The Right Car for Me: sporty WAGON

sporty WAGON

retrocycler

My wagon has got to have a manual transmission, and not be too heavy/large. A Jetta GLX (VR6) would be more desirable than a V6 Passat, for example. Though I would prefer a smaller/lighter car, I want at least 50 cu. ft. of cargo volume (with rear seats down). I presently drive a 2005 Scion xB, and love the handling of this car, but I want more power! The Scion is sporty up to about 40MPH, then the power is noticeably inadequate. (It has about 100HP). I'd love to find an inline 6 or VR6 motor around 3.0liters. I'm finding it very hard to find station wagons with manual transmissions (I'm in USA). Jetta GLX, Audi A4 Avant, VW Passat, Volvo V50 T5, Chevy HHR SS, Saab 9-3 Sportcombi, BMW 328i (or similar), all in the early to late aughts vintage seem the most likely candidates. Any other ideas?

Priorities: Powertrain performance / Handling / Cargo capacity

Need minimum of 4 seats

Will consider both new and used cars
Maximum mileage: 200000
Maximum age: 20 years

Maximum price: US $ 5000

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The combo of manual tranny and $5000 max to spend really limits you. I think your list covers pretty well covers your options. The $5,000 car with 200,000 miles is likely to be an project car -- and expensive unless your good at wrenching - I'm thinking at least $5K to make it comfortable, safe, and reliable. Hopefully you can find a Jetta wagon that meets your desires.
My only suggestion would be up your ante to $20,000 (if possible) and look for a used Golf Sportwagen (had manual thru 2019 I believe).

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I would up your asking price too. A decent compromise for the V6 would be a turbo'd 4-cyl. Since you are looking at some of the smaller VW and Audi's, I would recommend looking at used VW GTI's. Some of the older gen golfs also had the R32 or R in a V6 configuration and a manual. These fetch higher prices though. The GTI's are a nice middle ground. The turbo will help it not feel like a dog past 40 mph. If you want, you can look at the older Subaru WRX's that came in a wagon. There was also a time when Saab also sold their version of the Subaru WRX wagon called the 9-2X Aero. Both of those came in a manual. The STI wagons might still be above 20k. Lastly, you can also look at Mazda 3 hatchbacks. Some of the lower/mid level trims came in a manual. I would recommend at least the 2.5L engine vs the 2.0L. The 2.0L was OK. The 2.5L is the better engine and should be sufficient for getting up to speed. Only FWD is available with the manual for the 3's.

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Where to Next?

sporty WAGON

retrocycler

Response from Sea-Dan

12:22 am March 4, 2022

Response from Fatnslow

8:11 pm July 6, 2022