Help me find a vehicle. I am frustrated.

Tarheelpilot said:
Kind of a Jeep.
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That's kind of interesting, but a 45 mph top speed puts it more in the toy on the ranch category.

Three things about the Bronco. It's wide. I don't think I could fit it in my garage and be able to have room to walk around anything. I'm not sure it's cargo carrying capacity (and cargo utility) is as good as a hatchback SUV, plus an Ecoboost engine is a deal killer.
 
Sac Arrow said:
That's kind of interesting, but a 45 mph top speed puts it more in the toy on the ranch category.
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“To ensure safe off-highway use, the top speed is electronically limited to 45 mph (72 km/h) in the 2018 model and 55 mph (89 km/h) for 2019 and newer models.”
 
I thought all Jeeps had a 45 mph speed limit. Saw one do the death wobble in front of me a few years ago. I really thought the whole axle was going to get ripped off.
 
AV8R_87 said:
I thought all Jeeps had a 45 mph speed limit. Saw one do the death wobble in front of me a few years ago. I really thought the whole axle was going to get ripped off.
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I think they do better when they’re being towed by an RV…although I did read someplace that if you leave it in first gear while towing down the highway at 70, the engine reacts badly to 10,000+ RPM.
 
MauleSkinner said:
I think they do better when they’re being towed by an RV…although I did read someplace that if you leave it in first gear while towing down the highway at 70, the engine reacts badly to 10,000+ RPM.
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Leaving steering column locked also causes tire wear.
I knew a fellow with a high horse power class A that ate a pair of front tires off his toad.
 
Come to think of it, I don't think the M151's could go much past 45 mph. Yes, we had Humvees but the battalion commander and S3 liked their Jeeps so they got to keep their Jeeps. Fun to drive but I couldn't imagine trying to take one on the freeway. There are surplus ones for sale but $$$$ for what they are.
 
Sac Arrow said:
That's kind of interesting, but a 45 mph top speed puts it more in the toy on the ranch category.
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That's about all the old (pre CJ-5) Jeeps could do.

Though, the main reason I sold my CJ-5 was its highway performance, once we got a cabin 100 miles away that highway drive in the CJ got to be a real drag. But it was great fun in the woods, and sure looked like a Roxor, especially once I added the [plywood] hardtop.

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The example vehicle you specified is a midsized crossover/SUV. I'm not sure that anyone has produced such a vehicle for sale in the US.

If you don't mind moving down one size class, you may want to consider the Porsche Macan, which has Porsche's excellent PDK dual clutch automated manual transmission. I have one in my Cayman, I love it. When you feel like handling the gear selection, switch to manual mode, when you don't, go back to full auto mode. In either mode, the shift without lift nature of its upshifts is addictive, much faster than the ones I can do in my 6MT GTI.

If you don't mind a station wagon body, there are a few Golf wagons around with manuals. This listing is for a 2018 VW Golf Wagon that does have a 6MT. Here's another listing for a similar car.
 
Friends don’t recommend used VAG products to friends. Hell I won’t even recommend a new one.
 
bbchien said:
FJ Cruiser.
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Went for a test drive once. Excellent vehicle for its purpose. Would own it today except for my height-challenged wife who had trouble climbing up to the seat.
 
There's always Kei trucks. You ain't gonna go fast, but it's a 3 speed (edit: hmm, some have 5 speeds) with a granny low. The bed sidewalls fold down. It's sorta like a wagon, and you can probably buy two of them for the price of a newer SUV/wagon. :)

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If you don't want new, Wrangler is going to have the largest population of existing vehicles with manual on the market.
 
I'll tell you where I'm at on this. I have been convinced that I don't need a manual transmission. From other sources than POA. I think I am going to pull the plug on a Subaru Outback. Someone tell me why I shouldn't. I know a lot of people with these. They love them. I've heard the Toyota equivalents, and I love Toyota, aren't as good.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I'll tell you where I'm at on this. I have been convinced that I don't need a manual transmission. From other sources than POA. I think I am going to pull the plug on a Subaru Outback. Someone tell me why I shouldn't. I know a lot of people with these. They love them. I've heard the Toyota equivalents, and I love Toyota, aren't as good.
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In addition to the Wrangler we have a 2017 Outback with the 3.6 six cylinder, and I still love the car. Fast, smooth, quiet, it's almost a luxury car in disguise, and of course you have the AWD, wagon cargo capacity, and a roof rack capable of 149 pounds. Nine years old, I'd love to get at least another six, and even more if it will keep going.
 
FORANE said:
2015 and newer are all CVT.
I would advise looking for a 2010 - 2014 3.6r outback which would have a 5EAT auto transmission.
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The six cylinder and the CVT are not that bad of a combination. The six has good low end torque so avoids most of the high rpm CVT droning issues when accelerating. 2500-3000rpm is more than enough to keep up with or ahead of most traffic.
 
eman1200 said:
2 row vs 3. MORE cargo space, better offroadability. but yeah, they're relatively similarish.
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Are they more cargo space? I figured it was the "I have a CR-V but want to tow things too" play, but... man. weird how crowded it is in Honda's SUV/CUV/Whatever-UV lineup is.

For whatever reason we like Honda seats way more than Toyota seats. Oh, because Toyota seats are fabric church pews. :P
 
Bill said:
The six cylinder and the CVT are not that bad of a combination. The six has good low end torque so avoids most of the high rpm CVT droning issues when accelerating. 2500-3000rpm is more than enough to keep up with or ahead of most traffic.
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It's not the quality of the power handling that keeps me from replacing any of the three outbacks we currently own; it's the fear of having to replace a very expensive transmission. The 5EAT automatic seems reliable to about 250k miles; after that either torque converter or valve bodies in the transmission start to require service. The good news with the 5EAT is that I can buy a used one on car-part.com in the neighborhood of $400. My mechanic charges me around $400 to install it and I'm back on the road for under 1 AMU. The CVT has a shorter lifespan, lower availability of used replacements, and is significantly more expensive.
 
FORANE said:
2015 and newer are all CVT.
I would advise looking for a 2010 - 2014 3.6r outback which would have a 5EAT auto transmission.
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Well I would hope by now manufacturers would get the CVT right. My current vehicle is a '17 Sentra. Earlier model Nissan CVT's had a bad reputation. So far, knock on wood, it's held up fine. It's pushing 100K. If I were going to back to a '14 or earlier model, which I won't, I'd opt for the manual.
 
The auto/manual issue is problematic these days. I am on the extreme side of #neverautomatics. As I look at the vehicles on the property, the only ones with automatics are the bus, my wife's Alfa Romeo, and my 1990 Bentley Turbo R. That sounds like a lot, but keep in mind that the total vehicles in this house are in the double digits. The Bentley is literally the only vehicle I've driven (out of hundreds) where I don't want to change it to a manual transmission. I've owned and driven other cars where I can accept the automatic, but I still wanted to change it. The automatic in the Bentley (a GM TH400 3-speed auto) suits that car's ethos. I would love to covert the bus to an 18-speed. The reality is that the cost/effort/benefit just isn't there, but that's what I'd love to have. It would also make the bus completely unsellable, because I am nearly the only one who would want that.

I'm of the opinion that drivers who enjoy manual transmissions have a responsibility to purchase those new while we can, because those days are numbered. My kids are probably going to be among the last people to learn to drive with a manual. At least one of them will have a first car with a manual, it appears that a second is going to forcibly remove an automatic in favor of a manual (as I did with my first car - a 1982 Jaguar XJ-S V12), and the third, we'll see. She may learn how to drive a manual but may not have one in her first car.

The problem that we've come into nowadays isn't just the lack of manual transmissions, but the poor/sub-ideal implementation of them. I mentioned my Jeep previously, but even my Ram's manual transmission isn't a great implementation. The manual Rams in my year had the lowest horsepower/torque of any of the engine/transmission options, and the automatics had what amounted to an extra overdrive so they have lower RPM on the highway vs. what I get. By all logical metrics, the manual is a worse option in my Ram. I love it just the way it is, and it is not for sale. But, this is also how things are. The automatic transmission variant of a vehicle is almost always going to be "better" by metrics. Faster, better fuel economy, easier to operate. It's hard these days and you do have to be determined to keep on rowing your own gears.

Sac, hopefully you can find something that would be a compromise that you can accept that allows for a clutch. But if you can't, I won't judge you.

Ok, that's a lie. I'll totally judge you, but I'll try not to do it to your face.

That's also a lie. I'll totally judge you to your face.
 
FORANE said:
It's not the quality of the power handling that keeps me from replacing any of the three outbacks we currently own; it's the fear of having to replace a very expensive transmission.
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I know the early Nissan CVTs were garbage, but I haven't seen much about CVT problems at Subaru. I like that they use a torque converter on the front end. With a 4cyl Subaru I'd be more concerned with the head gasket issues vs the CVT.

All car makers have their issues

Hondas are nice, but some of the 1.5T engines have oil dilution problems
GM is replacing many of their "professional grade" 6.2 V8 on recall due to problems
Toyota similarly has issues with their new 3.5 twin turbo in the Tundra and other expensive vehicles
Chrysler still has issues with oil coolers and valve trains on some 3.6 V6 engines

Pick something you like, RTFM, maintain it by the book, and hope for the best.
 
Ted said:
I'm of the opinion that drivers who enjoy manual transmissions have a responsibility to purchase those new while we can, because those days are numbered.
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I'd love to get nothing but manual, but sometimes other vehicle requirements push you to deal with the devil.
Ted said:
My kids are probably going to be among the last people to learn to drive with a manual.
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While they don't have one now, my early 20's daughter and son in law both like and know how to drive stick.
Ted said:
The problem that we've come into nowadays isn't just the lack of manual transmissions, but the poor/sub-ideal implementation of them.
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Agree, the Wrangler is far from ideal. The transmission gearing is not in sync with the engine character at all, and the clutch and shift action is a bit clunky. Still, it's a manual. The 2019 Civic Si we had before the Wrangler was pure bliss. The engine torque/power curve and transmission gearing were perfectly matched, and the clutch and shift action was great. Nailing perfect shifts in that car was just a sublime experience. Honda is one of the few companies that knows how to do a fantastic manual transmission car, hopefully I'll own another one sometime. Another car I'd like to test drive is the Toybaru twin, supposedly the manual in that car is fantastic, as is the handling.
 
Sac Arrow said:
I'll tell you where I'm at on this. I have been convinced that I don't need a manual transmission. From other sources than POA. I think I am going to pull the plug on a Subaru Outback. Someone tell me why I shouldn't. I know a lot of people with these. They love them. I've heard the Toyota equivalents, and I love Toyota, aren't as good.
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We have 2 Subarus (Forester and Crosstrek, both 2.5L) and like both of them. The Outback and Forester are similar. I love the Forester because you can shove a lot of stuff in it and stack stuff on top if needed. The Outback I believe is even slightly longer.

Ours were on the newish side when we bought them over the past 3-4 years so no real experience, yet, with mechanical negatives. From what I've read, don't trust Subaru of America's statement that the CVT fluid is "lifetime". Supposedly manuals in Japan suggest a roughly 60k mile service.
 
mark.staggs said:
We have 2 Subarus (Forester and Crosstrek, both 2.5L) and like both of them. The Outback and Forester are similar. I love the Forester because you can shove a lot of stuff in it and stack stuff on top if needed. The Outback I believe is even slightly longer.

Ours were on the newish side when we bought them over the past 3-4 years so no real experience, yet, with mechanical negatives. From what I've read, don't trust Subaru of America's statement that the CVT fluid is "lifetime". Supposedly manuals in Japan suggest a roughly 60k mile service.
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Well, it's a done deal. I just got home with a '26 Outback, top trim model. I really like it. But this thing is COMPLICATED. I was worried initially that I might not have as much garage space as I would have liked, but that turned out to be a non-issue. It doesn't actually take up much more room than the Sentra did, and I'd rather have the extra length.

That is an interesting statement about CVT fluid. The Sentra called for 67,000 mile replacement intervals (weird number, huh.) Which I did at 70,000. Yes I will have the transmission fluid replaced but I haven't gone through the recommended maintenance schedule yet.

I'm sure as time goes on I'll have some gripes and *******. The touchscreen that controls a lot of functions like selecting radio stations seems a bit laggy. I seem to get weird pulls from the steering wheel, not sure if that's from the AWD or it's trying lane assist stuff. I don't even know whether it's on or off, or even how to turn it on or off. Yet.
 
Congrats, @Sac Arrow , may it serve you well and for many miles.

The book is thick, but does explain everything. Many of the eyesite beeps can be turned off, and the volume can be reduced on the ones that can’t. As for lane assist, I leave it off 99% of the time.
 
Sac Arrow said:
Well, it's a done deal. I just got home with a '26 Outback, top trim model. I really like it. But this thing is COMPLICATED. I was worried initially that I might not have as much garage space as I would have liked, but that turned out to be a non-issue. It doesn't actually take up much more room than the Sentra did, and I'd rather have the extra length.

That is an interesting statement about CVT fluid. The Sentra called for 67,000 mile replacement intervals (weird number, huh.) Which I did at 70,000. Yes I will have the transmission fluid replaced but I haven't gone through the recommended maintenance schedule yet.

I'm sure as time goes on I'll have some gripes and *******. The touchscreen that controls a lot of functions like selecting radio stations seems a bit laggy. I seem to get weird pulls from the steering wheel, not sure if that's from the AWD or it's trying lane assist stuff. I don't even know whether it's on or off, or even how to turn it on or off. Yet.
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Most likely the pulls on the steering wheel are from lane assist. My wife's Lexus does the same thing.

Congrats on your new ride, hope you have many trouble free miles.
 
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