Duan27

Has some pretty close ties to aviation. From a low-volume manufacturer, whose name might remind you of a very popular paperboard used for loads of applications, from illustration, drafting etc. Also got used for practically every handicraft project back in lower/ middle school.

Yep sorry, what I meant to say was that the actual answer came up (Fiberfab Aztec 7) when I googled 'Alfa Romeo Aztec', so I wasn't sure if that was fair play, so thanks for taking it! Here you go

I searched up Alfa Romeo Aztec & it pretty much lead right it, but idk if that counts xD Was fun guessing with the hints, they were pretty great 😁

Aztec? But the only ones I'm aware of don't look even remotely similar, especially the Pontiac & also the Italdesign Grasshopper? Mantis? That's all I could infer tbf, and I don't know much about classics or kit cars to guess further

Hi there, it’s the OP over here again. Still on the search. Just wanted to ask about a couple of other manual cars I found to be quite interesting, but couldn’t find much information on others posts in Autolanka. One of them is the Suzuki Swift Sport ZC31S, I found a couple of listings on 2 websites. They don’t seem to be heavily modded or anything of that sort, and from what I’ve read about online on other websites, it’s generally a good driver’s car, mebbe somewhat underpowered to call it a hot hatch but enough and more for a first car. I could only find somewhat limited info on this car on AL though, in a couple of posts, but they seem to be pretty old so idk how well those hold up now. I prefer the look of the ZC32S from the last 3 gens, but couldn’t find any manual listings for that yet, and the automatic ones are still pricier. One thing I noticed is that these listings have been around for almost 2 months, or sometimes just got reposted recently. So I’m kinda concerned as to whether there’s any particular reason for its unpopularity, or whether it’s just a pretty niche car that isn’t the most common option people go far, probably because of rarity of parts etc? The other car that I was looking at is the Honda Crz. Again, couldn’t find much recent info about it over here, only a handful of posts from about a decade ago. Love the looks of it and it’s plenty powerful enough for me, though some still consider it to be too underpowered for its looks. Imo it feels like a pretty quirky car, with a bit more personality than a lot of other cars on the road, but that’s just me. Then again I also feel like it’s too flashy for a first car, though it’s really not crazy expensive tbh. Practicality is another area of concern, and as far as I’ve seen you can never comfortably seat adults in the back row. Rear visibility is not the best either. I’ve read on other sites that the battery might need replacing, but it’s way cheaper compared to any full electric car. From what I’ve seen online, the manual Crz is still a fun car to drive, as so long as one doesn’t expect it to behave as something it isn’t, as it isn’t really a sports car. Would appreciate honest opinions of anyone here on buying these in 2023, and anything important to look out for. Still on the lookout for the other options mentioned earlier, but couldn’t really settle on something. Saw a couple of FDs listed a few months ago, but I’ve noticed that they seem to lack quite a number of options compared to the auto. Can’t find any listings now though. About the same for S60s, no T5s, and few listings in general. Quite a number of listings available for the 406 (and even the Mazda 3), and I’m still considering them as options, but I’ve also been looking at cars from a bit more recent years, so any change in safety is pretty substantial. Sorry for making the post quite long again, just wanted the input if anyone here on the cars mentioned above. TLDR; Any thoughts on getting a Suzuki Swift Sport ZC31S or a Honda Crz as a first (manual) car?

Appreciate the input, @AVANTE, @matroska & everyone else who posted. Will take what was said above into consideration. Narrowed down the choices to FD1 Civic, Axela/ 3 BK, 406, Lancer CS & Primera P11 for now. Will be searching for a while more until finally deciding on a vehicle. Will post an update on this thread once the purchase is done. Thanks again for all the help!

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer @matroska, really do appreciate it! I do agree on your point about the heavily modded cars, most listings I could find fell under that category. Legacy might still be a bit of a tough call with my parents, but will try. Thanks for the other 2 recommendations, will look into them, especially the 406. Also looked at some 407 listings afterwards still within my price range, but from what I’ve read reliability seems to be a pretty big issue so it’s a no-go. 406 seems to be the best fit for now. If you don’t mind, would also like to like to know if you’d recommend a Mazda 3/ Axela BK too. From what I’ve found by researching online and on the posts on autolanka, it seems to be relatively frugal (1.5/ 1.6 L), reliable, safe and also handles well. Only issue is that I could only find very few listings for manual cars,(around the 4 mil ballpark) and they come with pretty high mileage (least was almost 150k km), but can’t complain ig. Thanks once again!

Hi there. I’m interested in purchasing a used manual car as my first ever car. I’m turning 20 this year and I’m somewhat of a casual car enthusiast, but I have little to no firsthand experience with the internals of cars, except the occasional fluid change. I’ve driven around in 3 automatic cars of my parents, 2 that we own currently, but I’m interested in getting a manual myself to get to know the internals better and practice manual driving on. I’d prioritize handling and driving feel, then reliability. Won’t be driving a lot as of now, 20-30 km per week or less. Fuel economy isn’t too big of an issue as so long as it isn’t a gas guzzler. My ideal price range would be close to 3 million, stretching up to 5 mil only if it’s gonna be an extremely worthy and sensible purchase in the long run. Ideally safety should be key too, but can’t ask for everything at this price range. Right now I’m looking at some Honda civics (ek3/ es8) which are around the 3 mil price range, and also some eg8s which are somewhat cheaper. I’m interested in JDM/ Japanese cars in general as they seem to fit the reliability criterion pretty well, while some still can offer good handling. I had also viewed a bunch of converted Evolutions, STIs and also a B4 Legacy, most of which exceed the 5 mil mark or barely fit under it. As much as they’re probably better driver’s cars, I’m not entirely sure if it’s worth the premium for someone who’s just starting out, and I’m also unsure if I should be handling that much power in a car now itself. My parents will also probably be reluctant if it’s too powerful ig. So I just wanted to ask the people here on thoughts about the cars I mentioned above as a first car, or if you have any other recommendations. Any advice regarding this topic or in general about a first car purchase is appreciated. Sorry for the long post xD Edit: I saw some crash tests of ek3 and I’m trying to reconsider options, seems like only a Volvo would do for safety in cars in that era. Doubt they’ll be great handlers but safety looks like top priority to me now.