Good morning! For this week’s Showdowns, I’m conducting my searches with exactly three criteria: 2010 or newer, five grand or less, and manual transmissions only. I’m finding some interesting stuff, and quite a bit more variety than you might guess. I’m sure I can find eight good ones for you to check out, and narrow down to four, and then to one. Our first pair looks promising to me, with a few caveats.
Friday’s final was a four-way contest between some unlikely competitors. Three of them kind of made sense being mentioned in the same breath, and then there was that VW van. Predictably, the big blue box came away with the fewest votes, though some of you agreed with me that a stickshift might have leveled the playing field a bit. The winner and still champion? Saab, of course.
The topless red Swede isn’t my first choice, though. I’d have to go for that MX-6, especially since it’s been all but confirmed that it’s a GT model. I really liked my Ford Probe LX on the same chassis, and I imagine that an extra thirty-five horsepower and rear disc brakes can only improve things.
Last week, I got accused of being a Luddite, and living in the past, because of my assertion that cars built twenty years ago were more worth owning and driving than cars today. I stand by that statement, but it did get me thinking: What the hell am I going to drive in the future, if I don’t like any of the cars being built now? My current daily driver is a 2013 Chrysler 300, and even it’s too loaded down with gadgets and tech for my taste. And at 92,000 miles, what’s starting to be a problem? Not the engine, not the drivetrain, not anything chassis-related. Nope, it’s the gadgets. The climate controls are glitchy. The backup camera works when it wants to. The Bluetooth has been refusing to sync to my phone for more than a year now, despite repeated attempts to reset the system. All of it makes me long for simpler cars, and in fact, if and when I do get a new daily driver, it will be a much less feature-laden vehicle.
And… I think it will have to be a manual, especially if it’s anything newer than the Chrysler. In a world where everything is electronically controlled, I still really like the idea of pushing fluid through a hose with my foot and moving a lever with my hand to make the car go. Add all the engine management software you want, control the throttle by wire, whatever; the damn thing isn’t going anywhere or doing anything until I put it in gear and let the clutch out.
But I’m also a cheapskate at heart. I haven’t made a car payment since 2007, and I don’t intend to ever do so again. So for the purposes of this thought experiment, I’ve capped prices at $5,000. The one thing working to my advantage there is that with fewer and fewer people being willing or able to drive a stick, prices on used cars with manuals should stay low. At least that’s what we’re hoping for this week. Let’s check out our first two contenders.
2012 Honda Civic Si – $4,980
Engine/drivetrain: 2.4-liter DOHC inline 4, six-speed manual, FWD
Location: Sun Prairie, WI
Odometer reading: 218,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The Honda Civic Si’s history in the US dates all the way back to 1985, when it was first applied to the CRX. “Si” stands for “Sport Injection;” advertising that a car had fuel injection was a big deal back when most cars still had carburetors with a rat’s nest of vacuum hoses. The Civic line went all fuel-injected in 1988, but the Si model remained as the sporty Civic. Older Civic Sis were hatchbacks, but this ninth-generation car was only available as a coupe or sedan.
Power for this generation of Civic Si comes from a 2.4-liter K-series engine, making 201 horsepower. It sends power to the front wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox with a limited-slip differential. No other powertrain was available; if you insisted on an automatic, you had to settle for a lesser model. This one has well over 200,000 miles on it, and it’s still running strong, though the seller notes that the clutch may be starting to go. It’s fine for now, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
The interior is in decent shape for 218,000 miles; there’s just a little wear and tear. And the seller says the air conditioning works fine. The ninth-gen Civic’s dash is a little weird; it has a two-level effect. I’ve never driven one, so I don’t know what’s on what level, but I bet the arrangement takes some getting used to. Probably still less annoying than Toyota and Scion’s centrally-mounted speedometer, though.
It’s in good condition outside, and it’s a great color. It is also, however, a fourteen-year-old Honda in Wisconsin, so check underneath for rust. In fact, now that I look closely, there are a couple of suspicious spots around the rear wheel in the photo above.
2015 Volkswagen Golf – $4,800
Engine/drivetrain: Turbocharged 1.8-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Detroit, MI
Odometer reading: 179,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
I have a soft spot for two-door manual Golfs. I drove one in college, a blue 1985 model that I put through the ringer. I’ve test-driven a few others over the years, but never bought one. I honestly didn’t know the two-door was still available as late as 2015; you never see them. And with a five-speed stick? This is basically the same as my old Golf, just thirty years newer. I wonder how it handles on gravel roads?
The Golf has always been offered with a wide array of engines, but typically the US version only offers the bigger options. For the Mk7 Golf, that meant a 1.8-liter TSI four-cylinder that makes 170 horsepower, or twice what my ’85 had. The gearbox is a simple five-speed manual, which still feels like the correct number of forward gears to me. The seller says it runs great, and it’s a veteran of many road trips. It does have one thing wrong: the parking brake is broken. This is just an old cable-operated handbrake, not the dumb electronic kind, so fixing it involves replacing the cable. If you’re handy, you can do it yourself without much trouble.
My old Golf was quite a lot plainer inside than this one, but Volkswagen made serious moves upmarket in the US in the early 2000s, and never really moved back down. The quality hasn’t always been there, but from what I’ve heard, this era is considerably better put-together than some of the earlier ones. We only get these two photos of the interior, and they don’t give us a great view of it, but what we can see looks good. And the A/C works fine in this one, too, by the way.
It looks good outside too, except for some rock chips on the front. That’s the trouble with black cars; every little flaw sticks out like a sore thumb. I don’t think these are particularly rust-prone, and it’s only eleven years old, but it is in Detroit, so best to check.
I could see myself driving either of these, actually. True, they’re not as simple as cars from the ’80s and ’90s, but compared to current models, they’re pretty straightforward. And they’re interesting cars beyond just having manual transmissions. Which one catches your eye?
Golf as a weekend project car would be fun. I really don’t care for those Civics and while, logically I know the Civic is the better choice… I love Golfs, even having never owned one.
I owned a 2012 Civic Si. I’ve also driven a 2015 Golf TSI for several thousand miles as a company car. The first mistake I see with this comparison is the Golf model chosen should have been the GTI as it has suspension and drivetrain which are comparable to the Civic Si’s more sporting nature. I believe the Golf model in this article is not on par with the performance capabilities of the Civic Si. The Si offers significantly more HP than the TSI as well as superior handling characteristics due to both suspension tuning, tires, and front drive Limited Slip Differential as standard equipment. The 2015 TSI offered LSD as an option, and this article does not state whether the car had that option. It does state that the Golf is a 5 speed manual; there was a 6 speed manual offered as an option. I am inclined to believe this Golf is a base model without the “performance package” option that included the LSD and the 5 speed. What I did not like in my ’12 Si was the hard plastic surfaces of the dash and elsewhere, which Honda changed for the 2013 model after many negative reviews and customer complaints. I gave up my Si in favor of a ‘18 Mk 7.5 Golf R. I currently own a ’24 Golf R.
The Civic Si was a great car and gave me many miles of driving pleasure. The company Golf TSI was okay as a transporter and conveyance, but nothing more.
A horse apiece… except, red!
Aesthetically, I like the Golf better (would prefer a 4-door). I didn’t like the exterior or IP that era’s Civics. But mechanically, I trust the Honda more.
Tough choice today.
As much as I’d prefer a hatchback over a coupe, if I am choosing between two well worn vehicles, I’m picking the Honda over a VW.
I am already enduring the pain of keeping a 2015 VAG product on life support, whereas keeping the 10+ year old Honda in the family fleet ticking hasn’t been much of an issue, so Honda it is for me.
God help me, I went with the Golf. I should probably get an MRI.
I know the feeling. I had a 01 Jetta TDI 5M. Plastic parts under the hood. It’s death by a 1000 cuts. It’s just that I would rather have an older or newer Civic than that iteration. I thought these Civics, especially the coupe, were awkward looking.
The thing with manuals of this era is that they have so much rev hang. My TDI was a diesel, so it didn’t have THAT going on. I saw a TDI from my era that as it pulled away from a stop, I could hear that it was an automatic and wondered how glacial that thing must be. Back in late 70s I had a housemate that borrowed his mom’s Peugeot 504D wagon with an automatic and that was probably the slowest accelerating car I’ve ever driven.
Without even doing any research to see if that particular generation of Si was a decent one, I voted for the Honda. I’ve owned too many decade+ old VWs in my life already, and pretty much all of them became a PITA to maintain long before they should’ve.
I have a bad memory when it comes to VW engines but around this time my friends and family had some problematic VW products. This engine might not be the same as those, but unfortunately the mark was made, and I am suspicious of VWs from this era.
The Civic isn’t my first choice, but it would be a fun car and a good color! I think I would lean more toward Mazda for a fun, reliable, manual transmission car, but I wish they made a performance variant after the death of the Speed3. Also, they probably aren’t sub $5k yet but I would trust a FiST or FoST with 150k+ mi if it is still relatively stock although don’t buy in the Rust Belt.
The Civic would have to be absolutely FUBAR’d for me to chose an aging Volkswagen instead.
Isn’t the 1.8T the one that gets all sludgy? Or am I thinking of an earlier variant?
Doesn’t change my answer whatsoever, it’s Honda today, but just wondering.
Civic, I want a hatchback but don’t want a VW.
Wow – pretty tough choice. Honda reliability? Hatchback utility? I guess I’m going to have to go with the Civic, mostly because I don’t have a garage and therefore the VW would NEVER look even marginally clean.
I choose the Civic for purely cowardly reasons. I’d rather have a 200,000 Japanese car than a 200,000 German car. And the Civic is red.
I voted Civic for this exact reason.
Golf. I like the powertrain even if the mileage is a bit high. Something closer to $4k seems like a more appropriate price, especially with the busted parking brake.
The Civic might be the correct choice, but I’d rather drive the VW. An older Civic in similar shape would be harder to resist.
Civic! This was pretty easy even though I like both. Not into any newer Vdubs and much prefer Honda design and reliability. The Golf looks fun to drive but the Civic looks even more fun and I will have a blast cruising around. It’s in great shape, plus the 6spd is awesome!
Civic will be reliable. But a lack of hatch is a big letdown.
But the Golf, if it’s in good shape and turns out to be reliable, is arguably a better car. It’ll feel more planted, feel more solid, have a more fun engine, and interior (despite being a downgrade from the Mk5/6 before it) will hold up better.