Looking for manual AWD?!?! STI, WRX, golf R and what else?

[rage2]

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You don't have to buy a boring car just because it's going to carry a kid - just save your fun for when you aren't carrying the kid. There are tons of very practical cars that are also a lot of fun to drive.

This x 1000000. My kids came home from the hospital in the back of a C63 Black Series and Lexus RC-F. Life isn't over just because you have kids. Well, not fully over.

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I'll challenge that statement. After our first kid the wife drove the wagon full time for 7 months. Currently, the Trackhawk does full time daily driving and hauling the kids around. They're both a riot to drive.
Attachment 86727

[bcylau]

hahaha, thanks for the suggestions.

I am already moving out of a downtown condo and looking for house. We are trying not to change too much too fast, while that still might happen but lets have that happen more progressively and not all at once.

Figure this topic might resonant with some of you.


My wife and I are both around 5'9" so any car will fit us just fine. Plus we are driving the fiat abarth, so anything else will be bigger.

Thought the golf r would get more votes, but it seems like some version of subaru or an audi. I would love to get an suv or something, but the wife really wants the manual so there really isnt anything on the market right now.

[dirtsniffer]

https://www.autotrader.ca/ico/bmw/3%...200K8&sprx=100

[rage2]

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Thought the golf r would get more votes, but it seems like some version of subaru or an audi. I would love to get an suv or something, but the wife really wants the manual so there really isnt anything on the market right now.

I'll give you a vote for Golf R. I really like the car, great value prop, good performance.

[nickyh]

If you are 5'9 the R might be a bit tight depending on the car seat placement. I'm 5'6, so here were my findings car shopping.

I had a 2012 GTI and had the rear facing bucket seat behind me, there was no room to move the back seat one inch once it was in there (yes I could have placed it in the middle or behind the passenger but that's my choice). When i upgraded to the RS3 i could not fit the car seat rear facing behind me unless the driving position was too close to the steering wheel so it went behind the passenger seat, once I turned it around (Convertible now) forward facing my daughter is back behind me again.
I did cross shop before i decided on the RS3 with the S3 and the R, i would have picked the S3 over the R - the R is tight for space. Trunk space is tiny and my stroller would not fit, the car seat fit - but barely. The S3 had a bigger cabin and i could stuff the stroller in the trunk along with some of the other crap i took with. I could even move my seat back in the S3 a little before it touched the car seat.

My husband drives a WRX, room up the wazoo for everything. It's not as refined as the Golf but it's not a bad runner up.

Go shopping with the must haves for the child, car seat, stroller and heck, even a play pen if you can. This is the reality of life with a kid and you need to be able to haul it around.

[rage2]

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If you are 5'9 the R might be a bit tight depending on the car seat placement. I'm 5'6, so here were my findings car shopping.

I had a 2012 GTI and had the rear facing bucket seat behind me, there was no room to move the back seat one inch once it was in there (yes I could have placed it in the middle or behind the passenger but that's my choice). When i upgraded to the RS3 i could not fit the car seat rear facing behind me unless the driving position was too close to the steering wheel so it went behind the passenger seat, once I turned it around (Convertible now) forward facing my daughter is back behind me again.
I did cross shop before i decided on the RS3 with the S3 and the R, i would have picked the S3 over the R - the R is tight for space. Trunk space is tiny and my stroller would not fit, the car seat fit - but barely. The S3 had a bigger cabin and i could stuff the stroller in the trunk along with some of the other crap i took with. I could even move my seat back in the S3 a little before it touched the car seat.

My husband drives a WRX, room up the wazoo for everything. It's not as refined as the Golf but it's not a bad runner up.

Go shopping with the must haves for the child, car seat, stroller and heck, even a play pen if you can. This is the reality of life with a kid and you need to be able to haul it around.

The key is to shop for a car first, then shop for a car seat after. Yea, the big behemoth rear facing seats that convert into SUV sized strollers probably won't fit in smaller cars, so buy one that works for the car. It doesn't make sense to blow stupid money on a full sized SUV just to fit a car seat.

And lol at carrying a play pen with you.

[danno]

Ya the bucket car seats are actually pretty small, once you get into the car seats for a 1 year old that’s what you should base the sizing on.

I loved the golf r, but hated the manual transmission. Horrible feel from the clutch, I might still have it if I had got the dsg. I’ll vote s4, I’m on my second rs4 and have put minimal money into repairs or maintance.

[nickyh]

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The key is to shop for a car first, then shop for a car seat after. Yea, the big behemoth rear facing seats that convert into SUV sized strollers probably won't fit in smaller cars, so buy one that works for the car. It doesn't make sense to blow stupid money on a full sized SUV just to fit a car seat.

And lol at carrying a play pen with you.

Life doesn't always work in that order. I bought the convertible to fit my golf; was not about to buy a new seat to fit the new car - but not all parents rear faced as long as I did either.
Yeah - you should have seen the sales guy face when i rolled up with all the things to test fit, realized the sale wasn't going to happen pretty quickly.

[Mitsu3000gt]

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Life doesn't always work in that order. I bought the convertible to fit my golf; was not about to buy a new seat to fit the new car - but not all parents rear faced as long as I did either.
Yeah - you should have seen the sales guy face when i rolled up with all the things to test fit, realized the sale wasn't going to happen pretty quickly.

Almost every salesperson I have ever dealt with has had that same look of disbelief / disappointment on their face when they realize you don't want to spend $30, $40, $50k++ on a whim and might actually want to shop around a major purchase. They rattle off a mixture of complete BS and try to answer your questions by furiously flipping through the brochure they are still holding and then ask you if you want to go talk numbers

[finboy]

My gf does a lot of dog agility with our two dogs, it was essential to fit two large kennels in the back of whatever vehicle we bought. We watched salesmen destroy the interior plastics of cars trying to fit those kennels in there, and looked choked when they wouldn’t fit.

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Almost every salesperson I have ever dealt with has had that same look of disbelief / disappointment on their face when they realize you don't want to spend $30, $40, $50k++ on a whim and might actually want to shop around a major purchase. They rattle off a mixture of complete BS and try to answer your questions by furiously flipping through the brochure they are still holding and then ask you if you want to go talk numbers

[Mitsu3000gt]

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My gf does a lot of dog agility with our two dogs, it was essential to fit two large kennels in the back of whatever vehicle we bought. We watched salesmen destroy the interior plastics of cars trying to fit those kennels in there, and looked choked when they wouldn’t fit.

Haha, anything for that sweet sweet commission.

Also the reason why I never have and never will buy a new car that has ever been test driven or sat in a show room. They get abused day in and day out. Some of the things I have seen salespeople do (or encourage me to do) to the cars on test drives...you don't want to own one of those haha. And they weren't demos.

[rage2]

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Haha, anything for that sweet sweet commission.

Also the reason why I never have and never will buy a new car that has ever been test driven or sat in a show room. They get abused day in and day out. Some of the things I have seen salespeople do (or encourage me to do) to the cars on test drives...you don't want to own one of those haha. And they weren't demos.

What, you mean a proper break in?

I have no problems buying demos. If I had the chance to do it (something spec’d exactly how I wanted it) I would do it 10 times out of 10.

[ExtraSlow]

Brought my car seats to the test drive of my odyssey. Zero issues.

[Darell_n]

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Haha, anything for that sweet sweet commission.

Also the reason why I never have and never will buy a new car that has ever been test driven or sat in a show room. They get abused day in and day out. Some of the things I have seen salespeople do (or encourage me to do) to the cars on test drives...you don't want to own one of those haha. And they weren't demos.

They probably turn out to be the best performing and longest lasting vehicles. Proper engine break-in is maximum power regularly after one warmup and cool down.

[dirtsniffer]

I see this one around once in a while. I like the color

[Mitsu3000gt]

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What, you mean a proper break in?

I have no problems buying demos. If I had the chance to do it (something spec’d exactly how I wanted it) I would do it 10 times out of 10.

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They probably turn out to be the best performing and longest lasting vehicles. Proper engine break-in is maximum power regularly after one warmup and cool down.

I'm not talking about a few spirited drives. I'm all for the hard break-in, as long as I'm the one doing it But there's a big difference between that and what I have seen so many times on test drives and in the show room, I want nothing to do with those cars haha. Abusing the transmission, launches, and bouncing off the rev limiter for extended periods of time with a cold engine in -20 weather, and smoking pot holes for example is not part of a proper break-in.

I'd lease a demo if the price was right - would never buy one though.

[bjstare]

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I'll give you a vote for Golf R. I really like the car, great value prop, good performance.

Golf R vs used GLA45? One kid, few months from flipping her to front facing. Wife is usually in passenger seat and she's puny.

[rage2]

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Golf R vs used GLA45? One kid, few months from flipping her to front facing. Wife is usually in passenger seat and she's puny.

This is the manual transmission thread haha.

[bjstare]

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This is the manual transmission thread haha.

Since when did you become a stickler for thread topics?

[rage2]

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Since when did you become a stickler for thread topics?

That's it, banned!