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Inexpensive Sporty Car w/Manual Trans

ftpjtm

By ftpjtm
in Thailand Motor Discussion

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ftpjtm Silver Member

ftpjtm

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I may be in the market for a personal car for myself in the next year or two. I like to buy new, and don't want to spend more than maybe 900K. 

 

I also would like to have something with a manual transmission. 

 

Suggestions please?

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GreasyFingers Gold Member

GreasyFingers

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35 minutes ago, SiSePuede419 said:

What's the fascination with manual transmission?

 

I want to make more work for myself because.....uhhh.

 

There's really no valid reason other than "because I want to". ????

Try driving a 7 speed auto in the mountains around here. You never know what gear you are in when you know what gear you should be in. That is why people have manual transmissions.

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sirineou Star Member

sirineou

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6 minutes ago, peterpop said:

I guess you would be an American.

Hey watch it. I am American and love a manual. 

Why would anyone want a manual?

because they are bulletproof. I had a Toyota Echo, in the states , bought it when I was a young man and needed something to get me to work and back economically 2001. it was the least expensive car I could buy at the time. Base model. I drove it for 19 years , only thing I did was change oil, brake pads, and a battery or two, oh wait i changed an alternator ones. When I retired, 230,000 miles later it still drove like new, Gave it to my neighbor In NY when I moved permanently to FL, he still drives it to get around town as a second car. 

  Manuals last forever, and  the shift action on that echo was so sweet, after I got used to the sweet spot on the rpm, I never even used the clutch to change gears for the most part. 

The problem in Thailand is that to get the manual you have to buy the base model . And ofcourse the wife, she would not get caught dead driving manual. I offered to teach her several times, she will have none of it. 

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ftpjtm Silver Member

ftpjtm

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2 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

What's the fascination with manual transmission?

 

It will be a second car, and we live outside of Bangkok in a relatively traffic free area. If we are obviously somewhere with a lot of traffic, we'll take the wife's car with the automatic.

 

That said, I like manuals because they are more fun and engaging to drive, IMO. I've been driving them all my life, drive them proficiently, and think they make a night and day difference in some cars, the automatics shift so poorly. And there's the added bonus that they typically cost a little less than the same car with an automatic.

 

No one has a recommendation of a hot hatch with a manual?

 

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Aussiepeter Advanced Member

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Don't take any notice of them - real men drive a car with a manual gearbox. I am not American. I have never owned an automatic car, but have driven hundreds of them. Half the fun of driving is 'to be in total control' at all times and you are not in control in an auto. Just look at Thai accidents ! Going downhill in pouring rain, on the road to Chiang Rai, you have to brake. In a manual, just drop down the cogs until you are engine braking and saving fuel but still have full control. Less wear and tear too, as the Op has said. We own a V6 Mitsubishi 5 speed manual here in Oz and at twenty years young the Thai missus and daughter both still adore it. We could debate this for ever. Down to personal choice but I will never buy an auto, ever. For the Op, two years ago I had so much money I thought I'd buy a new car -  we bought a 2000cc Mazda 3 Sport with a six speed manual box - it was $21,490 on the road here in Oz - about 425k baht at the time. The base model with a few sporty bits. Brilliant little car. It flys and uses little fuel. It has also sat in our garage for almost the entire two years and has under 3ooo kms on the clock as a result. As another poster said the other day - the Mitsubishi Magna year 2000 is the best car I have ever owned. Tough and has great grunt. But for you in LOS - go buy a Mazda 3 sports in Thailand - for one thing it won't break, as it is 100% made in Japan, not Thailand. Five year warranty now. We just use ours for special days out, or the odd long trip. The Mazda 3 is currently the number one selling sedan in Oz, or maybe anywhere. It is a lot of fun too, if you use the cogs and don't care about fuel costs. Enjoy !

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ftpjtm Silver Member

ftpjtm

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21 minutes ago, Aussiepeter said:

I am not American. 

 

But for you in LOS - go buy a Mazda 3 sports in Thailand - for one thing it won't break, as it is 100% made in Japan, not Thailand. Five year warranty now. We just use ours for special days out, or the odd long trip. The Mazda 3 is currently the number one selling sedan in Oz, or maybe anywhere. It is a lot of fun too, if you use the cogs and don't care about fuel costs. Enjoy !

For what it's worth, I am an American. You all are assuming that Americans don't like manual transmissions? A few years ago BMW America forced the parent company to reverse it's decision to drop the manual on the 3 series, and there are a lot models available with manuals in the US than here - which is the point of the OP.

 

But thanks for the suggestion, I'll look in to the Mazda 3.  

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VocalNeal Star Member

VocalNeal

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13 hours ago, sirineou said:

I am American and love a manual. 

I'm claiming foul on this. Unless you have gone all bilingual. Isn't is called 'standard"

 

Quote

Inexpensive Sporty Car 

OP, Do you want it sporty or to look sporty?

 

Eg. My Sukuki Carry is lightweight, low centre of gravity, has a nice engine, close ratio short throw box,  a smallish steering wheel. But...

 

For 900,000 (quick-ish but not sporty really) a Mazda 2 Skyactive D with a chip kit. 

Edited by VocalNeal
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overherebc Diamond Member

overherebc

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Dtbezn3nNUxytg04OWFLSsZPSQbVdSEtzxVmcf8eRwpNwX.webp

14 hours ago, sirineou said:

Hey watch it. I am American and love a manual. 

Why would anyone want a manual?

because they are bulletproof. I had a Toyota Echo, in the states , bought it when I was a young man and needed something to get me to work and back economically 2001. it was the least expensive car I could buy at the time. Base model. I drove it for 19 years , only thing I did was change oil, brake pads, and a battery or two, oh wait i changed an alternator ones. When I retired, 230,000 miles later it still drove like new, Gave it to my neighbor In NY when I moved permanently to FL, he still drives it to get around town as a second car. 

  Manuals last forever, and  the shift action on that echo was so sweet, after I got used to the sweet spot on the rpm, I never even used the clutch to change gears for the most part. 

The problem in Thailand is that to get the manual you have to buy the base model . And ofcourse the wife, she would not get caught dead driving manual. I offered to teach her several times, she will have none of it. 

If you were a real American you'd call it a 'stick-shift' ????????

Only joking.

Look around and try to find a Mazda sport, won't be new but if you get a good one it will be a fun drive.

images (2).jpeg

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Skallywag Gold Member

Skallywag

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12 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

 

No one has a recommendation of a hot hatch with a manual?

I owned a 10 year old 1974 Fiat 124 spider that was a blast to drive, 5 speed manual.   

 

You can find 10 year old BMW Z4 for under 1 million baht in Thailand. 

Cant think of anything "sporty" and fun for under 1 million baht new.  

 

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Mansell Silver Member

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I’ve had a couple of Mazda Miatas. A very fun sports car, but probably not the best car for this country with the crappy roads which could do some real damage as the car is low.

As for stick shifts, I drove an early Range Rover that was a stick with a very heavy clutch.....got caught in the stop go traffic in London....after about fifteen minutes my left leg was in agony. One of the most miserable experiences ever driving. Also sticks get much better gas mileage than an automatic. My wife here had a stick shift Proton Savvy when I met her. Fun little car out of Malaysia. She said she got a stick because it was cheaper. Fair enough.

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Rawairat Senior Member

Rawairat

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What you need is an Isuzu ute, lower the suspension, don't clean the injectors ever, put a noisy exhaust on, finally a mid range boom box and the biggest FO speakers you can fit in the rear. Turbo is optional. A real chick magnet!!!????

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VocalNeal Star Member

VocalNeal

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11 hours ago, ftpjtm said:

But thanks for the suggestion, I'll look in to the Mazda 3.  

Sporty? 

Mazda 3 is heavier, less torque, bigger.

Mazda 2 is lighter , more torque (potentially a lot more) , smaller.

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Rdrokit Gold Member

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I did an advanced search for you on one2car.com. Used any year, price max 900,000 baht, manual trans, coupe, 50,000km maximum milage. Good luck. Nice 350Z would be my choice. Parts redily available.

 

https://www.one2car.com/en/cars-for-sale?min_price=100000&max_price=900000&max_mileage=50000&transmission=manual&body_type=Coupe

Edited by Rdrokit
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Logosone Ruby Member

Logosone

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Manual cars are more fun, but also more economical. Automatic is very wasteful driving in terms of consumption.

 

The Mazda Miata is the obvious choice. However for true driving pleasure there is only one choice: 

 

Porsche 911 Carrera: 320 HP which can be bought in Germany for 19,000 Euro (660,000 Baht). There is no car in the world that drives like a Porsche 911.

 

Nissan 350Z Roadster is the cheaper choice.

 

My choice would probably be the Maserati 3200 GTA however.

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