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.
So for a spirited convo like this old times; ?BYD
My father has gone ninja about getting one, despite being the new hype/fad here these are common across the world and I've seen a few cross 100,000km in Nepal and Australia.
Seal - Looks nice, very premium interior but too low for my applications
Sealion - Very Premium, feels very well built, BUT that 1.5L on that reasonable chunk of car with a measly 18KW battery seems like a recipe for trouble, incase they sink in value at least the fuel economy must justify that (They say it's a BYD engine - though the lore is it is a hyundai engine)
Atto 3 - Most sold from their lot apparently, common af, Seems to be the best bang for buck IMHO, Its electric since BYD is famed for that, Interior is kinda good, the thing is larger than a vezel but not too large like the Sealion, cheap mobility I guess with less things to go wrong
Dolphin, almost a smaller atto and again too car like and not suited for my application.
JK nailed it on the price and distribution but the only guaranteed thing here is the lot are gonna muck up the aftersales. The Kandy center staff behave like the crew from a Govt. post office.
What are your thoughts and opinions? Could this be the next Wagon R or is this a passing fad like the Micros of 2000s-2010s?
I have an empty parking slot at home previously occupied for 6 years by the starlet and 3 months by an AD wagon -what would be a bang-for-the-buck fun shitbox? Preferably auto as I live in a crowded suburb that has sapped the joy of stick shift out of my system.
Question
Duan27
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.
Edited by Duan27Link to comment
Share on other sites
44 answers to this question
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.