Good morning! This week, we are sticking with sticks – every car will have a traditional three-pedal manual, what used to be called a “standard” transmission. Don’t know how to drive one? That’s all right; it’s never too late to learn.
Last week, I asked you to pick one project car and one daily driver from our four finalists. A few of you were upset that you couldn’t choose the Impala as a daily driver, but come on – do you really want to manuever that sucker around in parking lots all the time? Or put up with ten miles to the gallon just to get to work? I mean, I guess if you’re okay with that, you do you – but it wasn’t the assignment.
The rest of us couldn’t form much of a consensus among the other pairings. The Mirage paired with the big red Impala ended up winning, but not by much. I think that’s the way I would go, too; that Focus would bore the hell out of me, and the only reason I would want the Jaguar is to rescue it from someone who wants to pull out its good-running V12 and stuff in a Chevy V8. But actually, that’s a pretty good reason.
Now then: Manual transmissions are a funny thing on here. If I feature one, I usually try to make sure the other car has one as well, because it is rare that an automatic will beat a manual in the votes. The manual has to be really dull or undesirable, or the automatic has to be really cool and special, otherwise the voting is a foregone conclusion.
So this week, I’m only searching for manuals, and I’m trying to find some cars that you don’t often see with a third pedal. Today’s cars are rare enough, being two-door variants of popular four-door sedans, but on top of that, they both have stickshifts. Let’s check them out.
2004 Toyota Camry Solara SE – $5,000
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Austin, TX
Odometer reading: 223,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
If, like me, you’ve ever worked anywhere that brought in an efficiency expert, you’ve probably heard the term “Kaizen,” probably in the context of an incredibly boring PowerPoint presentation. But regardless of the involvement of thirty-something dudes in polo shirts, the concept is sound: make small improvements, all the time, instead of making grand sweeping changes or resting on your laurels. And if you’re looking for a concrete example, there’s likely not a better one than the Toyota Camry – at least until Toyota discontinued the manual transmission option. I can’t in good conscience call that an “improvement.”
The best Camrys paired that manual transmission with a series of four-cylinder engines; yes, the V6 option was available with a manual for a while, but it’s so crowded in the engine bay that repairs and maintenance will make you regret going for the extra power. In this 2004 model, the four-cylinder engine displaces 2.4 liters and has variable valve timing. It also, critically, uses a timing chain rather than a belt, eliminating one of the more odious maintenance tasks of earlier Camry engines. This one has cleared 200,000 miles and is not letting up; the seller says it runs and drives great.
The two-door Solara is a bit of an odd duck: it’s too big and soft to be a sports coupe, and not nice enough to be considered a personal luxury coupe. It’s basically just a Camry with worse access to the rear seats. As you would expect from the high mileage, it’s worn and grubby inside, but nothing looks damaged. It’s an SE model, with all the options, and everything works including the air conditioning.
Outside, it’s in good condition, but I could never call this a good-looking car. It looks simultaneously inflated and melted, and good grief does it have a huge ass. But at least it’s clean and shiny.
2009 Nissan Altima 2.5S Coupe – $3,500
Engine/drivetrain: 2.5-liter overhead cam inline 4, six-speed manual, FWD
Location: Rochester, NY
Odometer reading: 181,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
The Nissan Altima has a terrible reputation that is in no way the fault of the car itself. In fact, when you consider the neglect and abuse that the stereotypical Altima driver heaps on the car, I would say it’s something of a hero. What other car could do 90 MPH on a donut spare, with half its front bumper missing and probably fifteen-thousand-mile-old oil? It stands to reason, then, that a well-maintained Altima should last just about forever.
In 2009, the Altima was available with two engines: a QR25DE 2.5-liter four and Nissan’s ever-present VQ35DE V6. Either one could be had with either a CVT automatic or a six-speed manual. This one has the manual and the four-cylinder. This engine had some serious oil consumption issues in earlier model years, but Nissan had taken care of it by this point. It runs and drives great, according to the seller, and has been “treated with love.”
I gotta say, I love this car’s interior. When so many other cars are available in nothing but black or gray inside, these oxblood-red seats and door inserts really stand out. It’s such a little thing to add a splash of color, but it makes such a huge difference. I don’t know why manufacturers don’t do it more often. It’s in really good condition, too. With an interior this clean, I’m inclined to believe that the seller took proper care of everything else.
These Altima coupes are uncommon; I think I’ve only seen a handful of them in person, and nearly always black like this. The photos in this ad are terrible, but as far as I can tell, it’s not rusty. Earlier Altimas had a propensity to rust, but these don’t have the same reputation. Still, since it’s an upstate New York car, you’d be wise to peek underneath.
Two-door coupes are disappearing from the market, and I guess you could say these two are good examples of why. Neither one of them has anything to recommend it over the four-door sedan version of the same car, except for the novelty of being a coupe. But they are a bit more interesting to look at than their four-door counterparts, so I’m glad that Toyota and Nissan decided to offer them. Even more so because they were available with manual transmissions. They’re both getting up there in mileage, but both look like they’ve been well-kept. So what’s your strategy: pay the Toyota tax, or save a little and go for the lower-mileage Nissan?
I went for the Altima cause of the red seats. Also the 2009 Altima had a hybrid option, borrowed from Toyota, alongside the jatco cvt and manual but the hybrid wasn’t offered in three coupe.
Solara vs…Altima? Definitely Solara! Those are great cars and love the color. It will run forever and be fun to drive. This one sure is clean and in good shape. No thanks to an…Altima…from the rust belt (even if they kept it garaged)
A friend, who is not a “car guy” has an Altima coupe, silver, black fabric interior, CVT, base trim. Yes, it has the wrong transmission, but he’s taken care of it and it still looks good. I credit Nissan for making it, they stole from their Infiniti G stylists, nothing wrong with that. That Solara just has so many weird shapes and proportions that have not aged well visually. (Edit: I’ll admit it’s probably the mechanically better car, it’s just so ugly.)
this is the only powertrain combo I’m willing to do BAE with.
Red seats for me!
I like them both. There, I said it!
Normally, I’d pick the Solara because Toyota of course, and to avoid being associated with Big Altima Energy, but I voted for the Altima because it’s clean, and has dark red leather seats (I’ve always wanted a car with those, and never had one… I don’t even own oxblood Doc Martens yet 🙁 ) and if you put the negative connotations aside, the Altima coupe looks like a budget Infiniti.
Neither car is really a sports coupe, and that’s fine. And I’d prefer the regular four over the six in either one, and of course, a manual makes them better. 🙂
Kinda weird that Toyota put a manual in that Pop-pop mobile, but I’m old enough to be a Pop-pop so what the hell – I’ll take it. Those Toyota 4 bangers are nearly indestructible.
If you want to turn the Solara you should have started yesterday.My wife had one and while it was comfortable and reliable that car was not definitely NOT fun to drive.I picked the Altima because it can’t possibly handle any worse and it’s much nicer.That 2nd gen Solara was just ugly and the convertibles are even worse.
Wrong transmission in the Altima..
I love my Solara convertible but for this one I gotta go with the Nissan though I’m sure the Solara wasn’t driven as rough over it’s life. Oh and I’m going to guess the Solara’s dash is all cracked over since it’s sporting a dash pad.
Not much to go wrong on these cars, with the dash being the main issue, and it was so bad Toyota offered a ten year warranty on the dash after pressure from buyers. Also, strangely enough the left driver side seat bolster is prone to extreme wear. Most be inherent to how the car was designed. But when I was shopping, it was rare to see (at least on ones equipped with leather that I was shopping) without some amount of wear on the bolster. And I was looking mostly at Solaras with 90 to 120k miles.
Altima. Yes it’s in the salt belt, but it’s 5 years newer, $1500 cheaper, I like Nissans, and I’d rather visit upstate New York than anywhere in Texas.
The Altima has a ghetto image LOL
Yeah the red seats are cool, but Toyota is better 🙂
It’s a tossup between these two for me. I decided to go with the Altima. I like how it looks a bit better, costs less, I like those red seats and I think the Altima is a faster car as it has 20hp more.
Kind of a coin flip here. the Nissan in this format was perfectly adequate and comparable to a Toyota as far as longevity and reliability. The Toyota is probably still the better choice here, but Altima-tely the lower price and fewer miles definitely make a strong case for the modern cock roach of the hood. The question really is whether the hood likes them still. I had an old Caprice cop car, no love, ran fine, super comfy, but then the Donk/Buble craze happened and the thing was then high on the theft list.
I think the design language on the Solara just does not work. I don’t love it in convertible form, but it’s far better with the drop top. I’ll admit I actually find the Altima coupes of this era pretty attractive! It’s a genuinely handsome design. That said it still pales in comparison to the Accord coupe of that era
The Toyota stans will probably think I’m delulu or got a loose screw … but I’ll take the Altima and cue up my Doechii playlist on my way out of New York.
This was tougher than i thought.
On the one hand, I’ve owned a clapped out V6 Solara and was still really impressed by it. It was a surprisingly comfortable cruiser and got over 30 mpg on the highway with the cruise set at 85. I’d read that the 4 cylinder is a bit gutless for such a big car (it’s a little longer than the regular Camry of the same years), but the stick shift would at least help make it more interesting.
On the other hand, that Altima does look nicer, it has fewer miles and is cheaper.
That being said, after many, many rentals I’ve never found a Nissan of this era with a comfortable seat and I’ll still always choose a classic Toyota inline 4 over pretty much any other powerplant for reliability (which is important if you’re trying to find a daily in this price range). Furthermore, parts are plentiful on Rockauto since it’s still just a Camry underneath.
Solara for the win.
I’d probably choose the Altima if I actually drove and eyeballed these, but I have a V6 SLE Solara parked right outside and it’s fucking awesome. The first-gen Solara convertible had a rep for being flexy and floppy, so for the second-gen Toyota added some serious beef to the floorpan. The result is that a second-gen Solara coupe is extra-stiff, I mean it feels like a brick made of titanium.
Of course, mine being an SLE means it’s thisclose to a Lexus inside, and it does warrant the PLC label. It’s a Japanese Cordoba, but with reliability.
I’m sure tha Altima is more fun. I love those seats. But Nissan, under the Ghosn administration? Hard pass.
As an owner of a 2nd Gen convertible (the V6 really has solid power for this size of car) I can promise you there is still a good amount of cowl shake. But I also need new struts, so maybe that’s part of the problem.
Still, it’s not so bad once you get used to it.
When fully equipped these are approaching Lexus like luxury. Throw in an updated AA/Car Play stereo with back up cam like I did, and it fixes the one main issue with this car, being out outdated tech.
I fixed the tech issue with a bluetooth magic box that hijacks the CD changer function. The stock system just sounds too good to replace.
Nice fix. Agreed the stock JBL system sounds surprisingly good despite speakers that are almost 20 years old on my car.
Backing up in the convertible is kind of a harrowing experience due to the really bad visibility when the top is up, so I’m really glad to have a camera.
Altima assuming no too much rust underneath. The Solera is just a little too beat up for me and with those miles and price for that combo. Altima is better looking imo and has lower miles.
When I saw the Blue Solara, I thought, that’s my car. Cept it’s not. Mine is the V6 auto SE. Bought it 3 + years ago for a little over $4k! Got $1000 off cause timing belt had not not been done. Had 132k miles. Has 187k today. Know what? One of the best cars I’ve ever owned. And I’ve had over 100! Gets 24 mpg on highway. Handles better since I replaced all the strut units. Back seat folds down. It’s quiet , smooth, and everything still works. Kinda funky looking but it grows on you. Cute little fish face! Lol Has sunroof , steering wheel controls, 6 CD changer in dash. Once I hit 200k, might replace it with a Lexus SC400. I’ve seen em for $12k with 70k miles. Still between todays pair, I’d go with the Altima. Less miles, and yeah those red seats! 🙂 ! I wish you all many happy miles of motoring.
I bought my ’04 SLE from a buddy, it was his late fathers’. It’s so wonderfully Toyota, smooth, quiet, totally solid, and the leather interior is so nice it should have an “L” on it.
I also have the 6-disc in-dash changer, and I just installed a bluetooth adapter that works with the car’s steering wheel controls. Check it out if you’re interested in phone music.
https://www.gtacarkits.com/product/bluetooth-and-iphone-ipod-aux-kits-for-toyota-solara-2004-2008/
The bland, melty blob Toyota for me, mostly because the Altima coupe does nothing for me and the Toyota is in rust-free Texas. While those Altimas may not have a reputation for rusting as bad as earlier cars, I have seen plenty of rusty coupes over the years and am not about to trust a car I never wanted from New York.