Petrolhead daily driver but still sensible?
Discussion
NiceCupOfTea said:
Your problem, as others have intimated, is that more and more cars are now sold with auto boxes, and there are very few manufacturers selling RWD cars. What is it, BMW, Jaguar, Mercedes, Lexus, and sports cars? Jags, Mercs, and Lexii are mostly autos, even BMW are more and more autos these days. My daily is an e46 330 manual which is rather leggy, but it's almost impossible to find a manual petrol equivalent is newer.
It's an impossibly small market. If you like your current car have you considered a lower mileage example? How about a Volvo 850R from before they went FWD? Is it modern BMWs you've had bad experiences with? Something older like an e36 - do some preventative maintenance and they are very reliable as this is from when they really built their cars.
Yes, as I said in my opening post, I know RWD and manual are rare these days.It's an impossibly small market. If you like your current car have you considered a lower mileage example? How about a Volvo 850R from before they went FWD? Is it modern BMWs you've had bad experiences with? Something older like an e36 - do some preventative maintenance and they are very reliable as this is from when they really built their cars.
Yeah, that's basically it for RWD. Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar, Lexus, maybe Toyota, plus Maserati and now also the newer Alfas. Besides that it will be ultra luxury like Bentley and Rolls Royce, or are they all only AWD now? Plus of course supercars. Quite sad.
I'm ready to move on from our current car. Get something newer, more economical and cheaper to run.
k won't you tell us why you hate BMW??? 
Pyrolysis said:
Once you find your unicorn please be sure to come back and let us know. Good luck
Well, it's not really an unicorn is it? There are options. I will just have to be happy with one of them. 
Unless somebody comes out of the wood works with an idea which hasn't been suggested.
But it's not as if the options are zero.
nickfrog said:
Based on the parameters you have given I think the options are zero.
How so? How would for example a MX5, MR2 roadster or even IS200 not fit the parameters I gave?
They are all petrol, RWD, available with a manual, easily found with a hardtop for the convertibles, none have a big thirsty engine, they have a good reputation for reliability, are not a BMW and are within budget. What am I overlooking then?
Well all I can do is wish you luck finding rocking horse poo OP!
I had loads of manual RWD cars in the 70s, 80s and even 90s but after that it all goes to pot!
My 1st car was a MK2 Cortina, followed by a Fiat 125, Rover 3500S, Fiat 132 1800ES, Escort MK2 RS2000, Capri 2.8i, Cavalier 2000GLS Sportshatch, Capri 2.8 Injection, Sierra Sapphire 2.0GLSi, Mercedes 190e. With a couple of RWD autos in the mix only because manuals ones didn't exist!
Which is why I've only had manual RWD BMWs for the last 15 years, and currently have numbers 6, 7 & 8 - although one is for sale!
I had loads of manual RWD cars in the 70s, 80s and even 90s but after that it all goes to pot!
My 1st car was a MK2 Cortina, followed by a Fiat 125, Rover 3500S, Fiat 132 1800ES, Escort MK2 RS2000, Capri 2.8i, Cavalier 2000GLS Sportshatch, Capri 2.8 Injection, Sierra Sapphire 2.0GLSi, Mercedes 190e. With a couple of RWD autos in the mix only because manuals ones didn't exist!
Which is why I've only had manual RWD BMWs for the last 15 years, and currently have numbers 6, 7 & 8 - although one is for sale!
aka_kerrly said:
NiceCupOfTea said:
How about a Volvo 850R from before they went FWD? ?
You mean when a Volvo 850 was called a 740 
Again I find it amusing that we have gotten to the stage where people are suggesting 30 year old volvos.
The truth of it is that the OP is really really scraping the barrel. I don't think there is anything that fits his criteria. He did say he'd consider reliable classics. But then if he's happy with that I don't know why he doesn't stick with what he's got as clearly nothing measures up.
Short of something seriously leftfield the OP has to relax his criteria. I get he doesn't want to, but...
blearyeyedboy said:
If we're bringing in the 90s, Mk1 Lexus IS, or a Lexus soarer?
The IS400 is just too old. I would not mind a Toyota Soarer. It seems they made them till 2000. So a late one would be ok. Being a Toyota it is probably reliable anyway.
I think the Lexus version is not a Soarer though. SC400 I believe and I'm not sure they were ever sold in Europe. The Toyota Soarer was. But finding a LHD and manual is just not doable and when you do, it will for sure be modified.
NiceCupOfTea said:
Ah, I thought the 850 was RWD and then the V70 was FWD, seems I was confused. 740 was the horrible yank styled one with the vertical rear screen wasn't it? I spose the 850R was 4wd wasn't it?
The truth of it is that the OP is really really scraping the barrel. I don't think there is anything that fits his criteria. He did say he'd consider reliable classics. But then if he's happy with that I don't know why he doesn't stick with what he's got as clearly nothing measures up.
Short of something seriously leftfield the OP has to relax his criteria. I get he doesn't want to, but...
The reason I don't stick with what we have now has been explained in my opening post. Since this is our main car, I want something newer. It will be either a new leasing or 2 years old or something. We want something with some warranty left. The truth of it is that the OP is really really scraping the barrel. I don't think there is anything that fits his criteria. He did say he'd consider reliable classics. But then if he's happy with that I don't know why he doesn't stick with what he's got as clearly nothing measures up.
Short of something seriously leftfield the OP has to relax his criteria. I get he doesn't want to, but...
Now for a second car it's fine if it's older. Because I want it to be a bit fun. It will be my personal daily driver, while the new car will be our family car.
About there not being anything which fits my criteria, a few posts above I showed that there is actually. Not a whole lot. But there is.
But after having put some thought into it, the car which would be perfect, or at least the type of car, would be a RX8.
If it had a conventional engine I would have gotten one now. RWD, manual, sporty, rear seats and even rear doors. Perfect really. Except it is not reliable, let alone for a daily driver.
I asked about engine swaps but it doesn't seem to be financially sensible. Pity. I thought a swapped RX8 could be what you refer to as a left field. But apparently not really doable financially to make sense.
I have been giving this some more thought and have decided that I could up the budget a few folds. Let's say 15K Euros.
But then I would want back seats but only 2 doors. Still RWD, manual and no BMWs. Guess what? Still nothing. What a ridiculous state of affairs we find ourselves in the auto industry. A few years ago this would be no problem. Now ruined by SUVs buyers and automatic car drivers.
But then I would want back seats but only 2 doors. Still RWD, manual and no BMWs. Guess what? Still nothing. What a ridiculous state of affairs we find ourselves in the auto industry. A few years ago this would be no problem. Now ruined by SUVs buyers and automatic car drivers.
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