Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We are looking for a car for my 18 year old son. He is very much into cars and driving and wants a sort of sporty one with a manual transmission. We will be buying used as the budget is 20k.

He’s a responsible kid who has no incidents thus far. It would make him very very happy. Is this reasonable to get him a sporty manual transmission car? Like Impreza WRX.

Does he want a Subaru? Would personally go with a Mustang or Challenger based on looks and 'Merican Muscle.

You can get a Challenger Hellcat with a V8.

Anonymous wrote:We are looking for a car for my 18 year old son. He is very much into cars and driving and wants a sort of sporty one with a manual transmission. We will be buying used as the budget is 20k.

He’s a responsible kid who has no incidents thus far. It would make him very very happy. Is this reasonable to get him a sporty manual transmission car? Like Impreza WRX.

Does he want a Subaru? Would personally go with a Mustang or Challenger based on looks and 'Merican Muscle.

Anonymous wrote:Sure. But prepare to replace the clutch in a year. Part of learning!

Not necessarily. I bought a manual when I was 21 not knowing how to drive it. I never had to replace the clutch.

Manual is the only way to go. He should be paying for his own car though.

Miata.

A used Impreza WRX? These are very popular young guys who modify the hell out of them. So, it may not be easy to find an unmolested example. Also, I’d be concerned that the car has been raced, etc. I’d buy a Miata instead

Sure. But prepare to replace the clutch in a year. Part of learning!

Why not? I enjoy driving and prefer manual as well. I drive a mini cooper S.

Bonus, most people who want to steal your car won’t be able to

Woo! New member of 3rd pedal club!

Love the wrx but I don’t know if it’s best choice for two reasons. First, it’s very powerful. Second, a used one will likely be one that was driven very harshly.

I’d look at civics, the particularly the Si.

My sister made her kid drive a manual bc it’s much harder to text while driving one.

Manual transmission more attention to the act of driving and less opportunity for using your phone. Seems like a good choice for a teen who is interested and responsible.

Not 100% definitive evidence, but:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17085632/
https://www.cmtelematics.com/distracted-driving/drivers-are-nearly-3x-less-distracted-in-the-uk-why/#:~:text=Automatic%20vs.%20manual,UK%20manual%20drivers.

Mazda 3 still has the option for a manual transmission. Might not fit the bill for sporty car for a teen, but it's a good deal for a car with excellent safety ratings.

Anonymous wrote:Good for him. I loved my manual transmission VW Golf back in the day.

+1

Go German. Fun clutches.

Good for him. I loved my manual transmission VW Golf back in the day.

Get him a car with manual transmission but less horsepower.

We are looking for a car for my 18 year old son. He is very much into cars and driving and wants a sort of sporty one with a manual transmission. We will be buying used as the budget is 20k.

He’s a responsible kid who has no incidents thus far. It would make him very very happy. Is this reasonable to get him a sporty manual transmission car? Like Impreza WRX.