What to replace BRZ with (fun, <10k, manual, dog-hauler edition)

Hi all,

Recently, my partner and I rescued a one year old german shepherd. We want to go on trips with him, but packing luggage for the two of us + his crate + the space he takes up... well, that's asking a lot of the brz. In the past 3 years I've owned it, it has worked a few storage miracles, but I think my new furball's dimensions may be a bit too much for my subie (as much as I love my BRZ, he is about the only thing that could get me out of it and into something else).

With that in mind, I'm looking for a replacement car to haul the three of us and our luggage with some amount of fun and reliability, if such a thing is possible. A few thoughts I've had:

• Gen 2 Mazdaspeed3 or Mazda3s. I love these cars, and Mazdas are pretty far up there on the list of things I love. I could definitely live with the 2.5 6-speed as well, but if I found a well-maintained MS3, that would be tough to turn down
• GTI - probably an MK6 with this budget. I am a firm believer that with used cars in this budget, you're buying the previous owner's maintenance as much as the car itself. VW reliability does scare me a bit, but it's still on the list, and I think it would be a bit hypocritical of me to fawn over the MS3 and ignore this
• Mini Clubman/Countryman - don't know a ton about this platform. Learned stick on a Mini, so it has a special, if illogical, place in my heart
• E91 Wagon - If I could find a RWD manual, that would shoot pretty far up the list. One of the more reliable bimmers, if the internet is to be believed.
• G35 Sedan - a bit of an oddball amidst the cars listed above, but I had a manual g35 sedan ever so long ago, and it never steered me wrong. These cars have a special place in my heart. I know it won't have the space of some of the others, but I wouldn't be upset if I landed in another

What am I missing here? I realize that very few of these cars are going to be as simple as the BRZ (hey, maybe I'll get lucky), but I think there's a few solid options here. We live in the city and can really only have one car. Again, priority is on manual transmission, space, and then fun factor. Thank you all in advance for any help.

Cheers,
Christopher


(Pic of pup and brz below)

My dogs love their Mk6 Golf R.

Mom has a 2.5 6spd Mazda 3. It's surprisingly fun little car. Plenty of room and it's been great to her for 13 years and 120k. The seats leave a lot to be desired.

Can you do a Civic Si sedan or EP3 hatch in that budget? 

David S. Wallens said:

Can you do a Civic Si sedan or EP3 hatch in that budget? 

I have thought about the SI sedan and TSX. Anything to look out for in particular?

buzzboy said:

Mom has a 2.5 6spd Mazda 3. It's surprisingly fun little car. Plenty of room and it's been great to her for 13 years and 120k. The seats leave a lot to be desired.

It really does seem like a great option. I would be happy in one, plus it seems like much less potential heartbreak than its mazdaspeed brother

Yeah your head is right where mine would be if I were you. I like all those options except the BMW and Golf, because German. 

I'd be looking first for the Mazda 3. Put a nice suspension, wheels and tires, and it's going to be pretty sweet. 

Or an EP3 Si, ( the hated Si) if you can handle a two door.

Maybe a Cobalt SS if you can handle the GMness of it?

How about a Saab 9-3 or 9-5? They can be turned up with a simple tune and look pretty good. They do come in manual form too. 

Wizard_Of_Maz said:

David S. Wallens said:

Can you do a Civic Si sedan or EP3 hatch in that budget? 

I have thought about the SI sedan and TSX. Anything to look out for in particular?

Our 2014 Civic Si sedan has been rock solid. Plus you get a six-speed with a Torsen. 

Definitely one of the Mazdas 

I have heard that dogs approve of Volvo wagons.  No personal experience in this field, however.

Sub $10k Mazda 3 makes me worry about rust for as old a vehicle as you would get in that budget.  The new ones look really nice, however, and if you have prior Mazda motorsports experience you can buy a new car at a discount through the Mazdaspeed program.  I have been thinking about leveraging that to put a turbo Mazda3 AWD in my life.  That option is automatic only, though.

We rolled the skyactive mazda three for wife's daily and dog hauler before kids. Another idea is get a v6 accord coupe.

Our manual equipped dog hauler is a Mazda2.

Which has been very reliable and can be had well under 10k. Get the Touring trim with cruise control (we didn't and I regret it on every road trip).

It's not a fast car, but it is a fun car. You'll want a Corksport torsion bar for the back end. It's disgustingly vague on the freeway with stock rear suspension.  And also you'll want to upgrade the pads and shoes, the brakes are middling before good pads.

After that, it's a front wheel drive Miata. 

Might be able to get into a Fiesta ST for the price point.  If that's too small, the Focus ST could be worth a look at as well. 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions - really appreciate them. Volvos, FiST - nothing is off the table. I'll keep digging.


Not sure on the space front, but anyone have experience with TSXs, specifically the first gen? There are some reasonably affordable stock/near stock ones that look like a solid value. Almost bought one ever so long ago but went the Mazda6 route instead.

Never owned a TSX so I can't add much, but I worked at an Acura dealer back when they came out, and I liked the way they drove IIRC. 

They have the K24, right? I'd watch for oil consumption issues. I almost bought an Accord with a K24 that drank a lot of oil. But the internet loves K24s almost as much as LSs. Whatever that's worth. 

In reply to Wizard_Of_Maz :

We have an 07 6-speed TSX as our family hauler. It has decent space and the k24 has more character than the fa20 and our mildly modded one felt much better down low  than a stock 2017 86. Stock it feels like a very slightly sportier 7th gen 4-cylinder accord but very mildly modified it feels like a fat integra gsr. The e90 has a lower sportier seating position than the tsx and likely more performance overhead. The TSX has been wonderful (we lucked out on a one-owner, low mileage car, and picked it up from a 55+ community). I adore this car and will be very sad if it ever leaves the stable.

• e90 325i/328i/330i: Yes the e91 exists but it's rare and expensive. Better seating position, slightly better power potential, longer gearing. More rigid chassis, safer. BMW maintenance
• Altezza RS200z: RWD, LSD, Manual, Doublewishbone, 7600 rpm redline, <3000lbs. Import a 1998 or wait until next year for a 1999.
• 7.5 gen accord sedan. More space than a TSX, similar power under 5000 rpm stock, worse gearing
• 2012+ Focus hatch (less room than the mazda3, but dynos higher and geared more aggressively, hard to get camber in the front)

Pete. (l33t FS) said:

I have heard that dogs approve of Volvo wagons.  No personal experience in this field, however.

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/cars-sale/volvo-unicorn-wagon-nmna/253034/page1/

My sister had a 2005 TSX she bought new and while it felt a little slow, it was a very comfortable place to be. Slightly sportier accord that can be made much more entertaining. She offered to sell it to me way back in 08? and I should have bought it for $15k.

Few years ago I bought a 2007 Civic Si sedan with 172,000 miles for $5500. It now has 222,000 miles. It's in a bit of rough shape now cosmetically and needs a few things maintenance-wise, but 8,000rpm is still very fun. 

For a road trip I'd pick the TSX. Autox and such? Si. The lighter weight and torsen make for a lively car. Lack of LSD in the TSX I would need to remedy personally.