Car shopping help - family vehicle for 6 with MT recommendations

"I park in a garage" (karlisindanger)
10/10/2014 at 15:15 • Filed to: kids, crotch fruit, manual tranmission, need more room.

About to add #3 this month, and while our sedan and wagon are totally good for the foreseeable future, we will likely need something a bit more comfortable when they get bigger.

So far, the best option seems to be a Mazda 5, as it seats 6 and of course has Manual Transmission as an option. I keep hoping to find other 5+ seaters with MT and am not finding really anything. Anyone have any suggestions?

Ideally, i'd love to be able to order a a touareg with an MT, but those don't exist here in Canada.

DISCUSSION (33)

For Sweden > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:18

Subaru Forester

I park in a garage > For Sweden
10/10/2014 at 15:19

DAMMIT! i always forget about Subaru. Thanks!

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:21

Land Rover Defender? I bet you got some of the more recent ones with a manual as well up in America's hat.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Land-Rover…

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:21

Does not have 6 seats.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:21

Mazda5.

Takuro Spirit > For Sweden
10/10/2014 at 15:21

5 seater.

Steve in Manhattan > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:22

Just checked - Santa Fe and Tucson no longer offer sticks. Sigh.

Takuro Spirit > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:23

Only thing I can think of that seats 6 and is available with a manny is a ext cab or crew cab truck with a front bench seat, besides the Mazda5 or an old Astro van or O.G. Caravan.

Deal Killer - Powered by Focus > Takuro Spirit
10/10/2014 at 15:25

5 Seater, if you're really, really friendly to your seat mate. Otherwise, hours of travel time with "He's touching me!".

Andrew T. Maness > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:26

Used 2002-2006 BMW X5.

I park in a garage > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S
10/10/2014 at 15:26

haha, that LR is amazing...

I park in a garage > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready
10/10/2014 at 15:27

as i suspected. why doesn't a miata seat 6....

nermal > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:29

This is pretty much your only option. It has a diesel / manual, plenty of room for the kids, storage space in the back for all of your hockey equipment, and 4wd to make it thru the snow.

Kinja'd!!!

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:30

It does.

Driver in the driver's seat.

#2 in the passenger seat

#3 and #4 sit on the hood

#5, the smallest, goes in the trunk

#6 sits on the closed trunk lid.

Now if you don't exceed 30 mph, everyone should be fine.

Camry-Into-Canyon > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:31

No manual, BUT

-Thundering V8

-All the toys

-Sportscar platform

-mint condition

-roomy.

Linky.

Also, three-pedal Cayenne.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > Steve in Manhattan
10/10/2014 at 15:31

Wait, really? I thought the Tuscan did.

Textured Soy Protein > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:34

I am one of three siblings. Our main family hauler when my sister (kid #3) was born was an '89 Ford Taurus wagon, with a proper old school wagon wayback seat.

Even though all 5 of us could've fit in a sedan, which we sometimes did on short trips in town, on any kind of longer drives we always took the Taurus. Parents up front, a couple kids in the back seat, and one in the wayback, was much more harmonious.

This was the case until I was 13, my brother 9, and my sister was 4, at which point my mom switched to a '96 Chrysler Town & Country. Room to spread out is good.

Assuming your wagon does not have a jump seat in the back, you may rather quickly discover that putting all 5 of you in either of your cars for any length of time will get kind of annoying.

I'd say the Mazda 5 is a perfect choice for while your kids are still small, but once they start getting bigger, you may find you need more room, and might have to just suck it up and get something with an automatic.

Steve in Manhattan > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready
10/10/2014 at 15:37

Just checked the pulldown menu at Hyundai site and saw 2 engine choices, auto only.

I park in a garage > Textured Soy Protein
10/10/2014 at 15:39

Sounds like my childhood, i'm 1 of 4 kids. We eventually got a huge 79 Dodge Sportsman van when I was a bit older (around 1991 i think) for use on long trips. But we could all make it work in an Plymouth Aries as it had bench seats in the front for short trips.

I park in a garage > Camry-Into-Canyon
10/10/2014 at 15:40

those exist!!!!!! Now to convince the wife...

Camry-Into-Canyon > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:42

Pros:

-Reliable

-Comforatable

-Practical

-Safe

-Relatively economical on fuel

-First-rate service

-A very nice car to go out on the town in

I hope this helps.

I park in a garage > Camry-Into-Canyon
10/10/2014 at 15:49

probably only real hurdle is getting it from toronto. but now that i know 3 pedal cayenne's exist, i can hunt one down locally. hopefully.

Camry-Into-Canyon > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:50

where in canada are you?

Rock Bottom > I park in a garage
10/10/2014 at 15:51

Three Miatas.

Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready > Steve in Manhattan
10/10/2014 at 17:05

Well, the people who want a small crossover with a manual transmission are probably going to get a Subaru or a CX-5 anyway.

I park in a garage > Camry-Into-Canyon
10/10/2014 at 17:23

Edmonton, AB.

Camry-Into-Canyon > I park in a garage
10/11/2014 at 05:09

huh. It seems that there aren't any for sale outside of Ontario. How much are you willing to spend? You could get the regular Cayenne I linked you, or, if you're a big spender, this 2009 GTS V8 with the manual.

Greenmobile Supremo Commando, BRZ Extrordinare > Camry-Into-Canyon
10/13/2014 at 00:14

FROM BRR(tounge roll)RIDGEEEEEEE BRO?

twochevrons > I park in a garage
10/14/2014 at 09:19

Volvo wagon with folding 3rd row seats? Sure, the seats are small, but so are kids. I grew up riding in an Audi 100 with a similar arrangement, and I suspect that all those miles while facing backwards are what made me totally immune to motion sickness.

It seems that the mostly commonly-available manual version is the V70R. They command a premium, of course, but manual or not, they're ludicrously quick, and usually come loaded with options. I'm looking at them myself, as a 'one day' replacement for my 850R.

charolastra > I park in a garage
10/16/2014 at 18:00

i was pleasantly surprised with the subie forester we rented last weekend. of course as a rental it was an automatic (a CVT to be more accurate), but the vehicle comes in a manual in the two lowest trim options available. we are considering the same for us though it's only us two

charolastra > Hahayoustupidludditeshutupandgohandcrankyourmodeltalready
10/16/2014 at 18:02

damn, true. 6 seater is more tricky

charolastra > charolastra
10/16/2014 at 18:04

lol, 5-seater
:( dur

I park in a garage > charolastra
10/16/2014 at 18:21

5 seater is totally fine, as long as it's "roomy".