[Captain Starbucks]

Can you guys recommend a fun to drive, reliable car that can still haul kids? 6MT a plus but will strongly consider all electric. Doesn't necessarily have to be 4 door but can't be a bro-mobile like Mustang, Camaro etc.

I'm thinking Mazda 3, WRX, 2 Series, Bolt, 3 series wagon.

Let me know if you have any ideas.

Rob

[Cyberdemon]

GTI. I loved mine but our stroller was too big. In hindsight I should've just bought a smaller stroller.

[pbonsalb]

6 speed manual N52 car comes to mind as simple and reliable for a BMW but you may have to go back nearly 10 years.

Otherwise, Mazda, Toyota/Lexus, Honda/Acura, maybe Subaru or Nissan/Infiniti. Preferably one of the sportier models. Hyundai have turned into pretty good cars in the past 10 years.

VW GTI is probably not as reliable but is a sporty hot hatch and practical 4 door. Civic Si maybe 4 door now but am not sure. Was looking for our 27 year old recently and focused on the Civic and GTI.

[nrubenstein]

The only one of those listed that fits the bill is a Mazda 3. The Mazda 3 is my go to recommendation for people who need something reliable with a little bit of fun.

WRX, no. (Subaru engine reliability..........) 2 series, no. Old 3-series wagons with manual transmissions are either very expensive or garbage.

[br2wdc]

There are a ton of options for you, and along the same lines as the GTI, I would consider the new VW Jetta, which has a 6MT option and near you in Tacoma, WA I found one example for around $15k:

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/d...3343/overview/

I believe it gets 40mpg on the highway, so depending on the type driving you do, you'll have a very versatile car that is fun to drive.

Originally Posted by Captain Starbucks

Can you guys recommend a fun to drive, reliable car that can still haul kids? 6MT a plus but will strongly consider all electric. Doesn't necessarily have to be 4 door but can't be a bro-mobile like Mustang, Camaro etc.

I'm thinking Mazda 3, WRX, 2 Series, Bolt, 3 series wagon.

Let me know if you have any ideas.

Rob

[Captain Starbucks]

GTI was what I was considering but wasn't sure about reliability so was looking at other cars.

Mazda 3 seems like a good one. I'll look into those.

Thanks!

[Captain Starbucks]

Just saw the Jetta. I don't know much about them. Reliable?

[SYT_Shadow]

GTi, F5X Mini Cooper S, Mazda

[br2wdc]

Yes for me it was; I had a 2017 VW Jetta GLI 6MT and one issue for a sensor went bad and was replaced under warranty.

The good news with this example is that it's NEW, and has a 4 year/50k mile warranty. Not having to worry about any issues for 4 years should provide some peace of mind.

Originally Posted by Captain Starbucks

Just saw the Jetta. I don't know much about them. Reliable?

[Cyberdemon]

Jetta and GTI are the same car/platform just different shape and slightly different suspension tuning. Reliability is always hit or miss with VW, (esp coming from the M3 where reliability is just defined as doing tons of maintenance all the time). With that said I have a lot of friends with GTI's and the issues are generally small electrical annoyances more than complete major failures. It's a FWD car with a pretty stout engine. I didn't own mine long enough for anything to break.

The Mazda 3 will be more reliable, but you'll have a more limited selection to try and find a 6MT because most of the cars with MT were the cheaper sport version. If you want it as a daily the nicer features will be in the grand touring model.

I sold my GTI for a CX-9 lease (Cause so much space and it was as fun to drive as a 3 row SUV could be.)

[torrque]

1.4 Jetta and fun should not be used in the same sentence... I vote for the GTI, had 2 of them. You won't be sorry. For 15k you can get a sub 80k miles example for sure, which will run another 80k with little worries...

[Ajolives]

I can from a GLI, same thing as a GTI but you get a trunk instead of a limited slip diff. I rowed through the gears everyday and still got 30mpg.

[br2wdc]

100% correct, and I was offering a "new" option based on his criteria, but in the $15k range you can get some excellent condition 2015-2018 VW Jetta GLI similar to what I had with 6MT, or a GTI too depending on the condition.

A lot more "fun" going the GLI/GTI route no question, though no warranty could be "not fun" at some point

Note: In 2018 the final year for the MK6 Jetta, they did double the warranty to 6 years/72k, and I believe it's transferrable, so you could have a best of both worlds if you find a 2018 VW Jetta GLI you like.

Originally Posted by Ajolives

I can from a GLI, same thing as a GTI but you get a trunk instead of a limited slip diff. I rowed through the gears everyday and still got 30mpg.

[Cyberdemon]

I think if you've emotionally been able to handle owning an e9X, the GTI would still seem pretty reliable. Just not Japanese reliable (IE do nothing but oil and tires).

You could also get an aftermarket Fidelity warranty or something similar, but VW has a similarly good community resource for fixing typical paint points. I haven't seen what major issues plagued the mkVII gen. If anything it's just an issue to make sure you don't have a used car that's been tuned/boosted with a bunch of bolt ons.

[akkando]

Originally Posted by nrubenstein

The only one of those listed that fits the bill is a Mazda 3. The Mazda 3 is my go to recommendation for people who need something reliable with a little bit of fun.

WRX, no. (Subaru engine reliability..........) 2 series, no. Old 3-series wagons with manual transmissions are either very expensive or garbage.

The 2 series is great, but not as practical as the Mazda 3 and not nearly as cheap.

[bimmergixxer]

GTI for sure with a manual. Never owned one but the reviews are always great and they are practical with a hatch.

[amrazM]

Mazda or mazdaspeed 3

[derbo]

I have a 2017 Civic Hatchback EX I bought brand new. You could find a 6MT sport for probably $15k nowadays. Solid car, gets 38-40mpg and handles great.

[Cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by akkando

The 2 series is great, but not as practical as the Mazda 3 and not nearly as cheap.

I loved my F2x, and in 228 trim with Msport it's a very fun car even though the steering is Fxx numb. But yes the trunk is pretty small, not as much volume compared to the hatchback and if you have kids, they need to be of an age that they can climb in the back. Wouldn't work if you were like me and dealing with a rear-facing car seat or infant carrier.

[Longboarder]

$15k? A high mileage '08 e90/e92 M3 of course. They're out there.

[bimmergixxer]

Originally Posted by Longboarder

$15k? A high mileage '08 e90/e92 M3 of course. They're out there.

True, but it needs to be reliable. A $15K M3 might be in need of maintenance like throttle actuators, rod bearings, engine mounts and brakes.

[Longboarder]

Originally Posted by bimmergixxer

True, but it needs to be reliable. A $15K M3 might be in need of maintenance like throttle actuators, rod bearings, engine mounts and brakes.

A hard find to get one at $15k with some of that maintenance already done. But I would try first before settling on any of the other cars mentioned here.