Another round of What Car... $6000 commuter / family hauler that's not totally boring

I'd also vote for a non-turbo E90 speaking as a turbo E90 owner:) Other than oil pan/gasket leaks N52's seem reliable and they drive really well. 

Big vote for the Fit... which I'll circle back to. 

You can find a TL in your price range with the manual, but they're high miles and probably going to need maintenance and that may include a timing belt. They also require premium fuel, so that's eating into the cost per mile.

8th gen civics So are great, but yes, the cleanest ones are over your budget. Wouldn't scare me off of one after buying a scabby one myself. 

The only unique parts to the car are the powertrain, front hubs, front subframe and the few body parts. 

Everything else is common to the normal civics so getting parts is easy and pretty cheap. 

Also runs on premium. 

But here's why my vote is for the fit. Get one with cruise control any year between 07-13

Pull the seats and carpet and put in extra sound deadening. Door panels or on the inside of the door sheet metal would also be a good idea. 

The fit has the most versatile space use. The rear magic seat should fit both your kids because they're in forward racing seats already I assume. The L15 is a damn reliable little motor. 

Making sure you get one with cruise control is paramount for long trips otherwise your right leg will start to go numb from holding the pedal down. 

You should see 32+mpg on the freeway and upper 20's around town. All on 87 octane fuel. 

Your budget should allow you to shop for a nicer older model or a higher mile newer one. The 3rd gen cars have the same DI issues as any other modern DI without aux fuelling has FYI. Also a higher mile 3rd gen may also need new injectors too. 1st and 2nd gen cars are great and they have a premium on prices because they don't die. Find a clean one without rust and proceed to drive it into the ground.

Mazda5 could be fun, but I don't think it's going to be nearly as good as the Honda/Acuras presented. And i question how well interiors will continue to age....

In reply to spacecadet (Forum Supporter) :

I'd expect you'd get much more than 32mpg on the freeway with the Fit.  From my recollection, our '08 got about 32 in town and around 40 on the highway.  But the highway buzz was just brutal, I hated taking it on the interstate. 

In reply to Klayfish :

Highway MPG depends heavily on where you are and what your highway speeds are. I got like 33-34 around Houston because our freeway speed is usually in excess of 70. 

BMW E39 540i 6 speed - should be able to get a tidy one for about $3k and have $3k left over to fix all the little things that go wrong...

If you go with a Fit, definitely look at an aftermarket rear bar. Makes a good difference. If looking at a Versa hatch, the up to 2012 model years have a 6 speed if a manual.  

Test drove the Vibe GT - found myself wishing the front seat would slide back another inch. I think I'll pass on this one - if I wanted the seat back a little further on a test drive, it's likely to really bug me on a long trip. The car almost felt as if somebody drew up the spec sheet as a joke, slipped it to the boss on Friday at 4:30 PM, and the boss was a hurry to go golfing and signed off without reading it. Not that that's a bad thing; it is just a bit weird for a tall wagon to be packing an engine that wants to rev past 8,000 RPM and no suspension upgrades over the base version. Kind of entertaining, but I think I should go bigger.

I hadn't been looking at 3 series BMWs because I had previously had an E36 and there wasn't enough room in the back seat with the front seat all the way back. Would consider a 6 cylinder 5 series if I found the right deal on it.

It’s definitely a weird car, the shifter is odd too.

I love my 08 Fit and plan to keep it for a long time, but do try out the back seat first with your seat adjusted. There is amazing space for a small car with my 5' 10" self driving, but my boys are 2 and 4 so they are good for now. At 9 it may get tight. It's true Fits buzz at hwy speed but I am used to buzzy honda sounds. I agree get cruise , mine doesn't  have it and I miss it daily, I am to the point of seriously looking at the after market kits.  Check for leaks in the doors (wet carpet) and rear hatch (spare tire well) well known and documented fix for both but you should know what you are getting into. 

TL

I've had a 5-speed 2008 Honda Fit Sport as my DD for the last 5.5 years and here's how it stacks up to your requirements, at least from my vantage point:

Mandatory:

• $6000 maximum budget. - The "GD" chassis (2007-08) would certainly fall under $6k in most cases, and I'm sure the next gen "GE" (2009-13) can be found there as well.
• I'm about 6'2" tall - this car will need to have plenty of leg and head room. - I'm only 5'10" and I don't think anyone taller than me has driven mine, so I can't comment. I will say that it is a lot roomier for the driver than the 2002 WRX Wagon it replaced. The roof seems super tall compared to other stuff.
• A real back seat that is able to carry two kids - currently 5 and 9. And it needs to be usable even with the front seat shoved all the way back. If carrying the whole family, my wife does not need to put the passenger seat back as far as the driver's. - I've had 4 adults in mine on many occasions, including 8 hour road trips and have never heard a complaint from those that sat in the back.
• Reasonable level of reliability. Yes, this is kind of vague. - I've owned mine from around 134k to 185k and have had relatively few issues. Outside of expected wearables (suspension/brakes/etc.), I've replaced a front caliper that was sticking, an O2 sensor, blower motor/resistor, some wiper linkage bushings that broke and a rain water leak in the back doors that was easy to fix. I otherwise just change the oil and drive it.

Desired:

• Not boring. Another kind of vague one here.  A stock Camry or your average crossover SUV is going to be boring. Decent handling and a responsive (if not necessarily powerful) engine would fit the bill. But other "does something cool" cars might be candidates too. - It's fun to drive in a manual Honda sense, but certainly isn't quick or anything. I can get it to chirp 2nd every once in a while.
• Manual transmission strongly preferred. - Pretty widely available
• I also plan to be selling a Ford Ranger at this time - the Ranger appears to have largely served out its purpose in collecting engine parts for the project Dart, but I've found I can haul an inflated 12' rubber raft on the ladder rack (which I've been doing most weekends). So a wagon-like body would be nice to have. But I could always get a utility trailer or find something that would inflate the raft more quickly when I get to the lake. - I've hauled all sorts of oddball stuff in it that I would normally use my beater Dakota for. The back seat can lift up to give you a space to haul taller but narrow items, and the front seat can be folded in a way where you can fit longer items in it.
• Good highway stability. I'm currently working from home, but my regular commute is about 28 miles, half on the Interstate. - Mine feels fine on the highway. My biggest complaints on the highway are that it's buzzy hitting 4k RPMs at 80, and the fuel economy is kind of unimpressive for a 1.5L that will dyno in the double digits. If the rear shocks are going, it'll get bouncy on the highway and eventually cup the tires.
• Around 25-30 mpg under this sort of use. - Despite my previously mentioned gripes about the highway economy, it'll easily meet this requirement. Driving it like I stole it, I get around 30 in the city, and closer to 35 on the highway. It does have a tiny gas tank, so plan some gas stops if you're going on a long trip.
• Cloth seats preferred. They seem to hold up better long-term than leather or vinyl and do better in terms of summer comfort. - I think they only come with cloth. The most remarkable thing about mine is that despite cleaning it maybe once a year, regularly hauling 2 small dogs and a bunch of dirty junk, my interior is still immaculate after 12 years and over 180k.
• Most adjustable lumbar support seats seem to have no position they can be adjusted to that works for me; they seem to be asking "Would you like to have me poke you with this baseball bat in your lower back or the middle?" Seats without this option generally do better. - I don't think the Fit has this, but I'm not 100%. I know exactly what you're talking about though, cars I've DDed in the past (WRX Wagon, Ion Redline with factory Recaro's, 1G DSM's with various stock seats) all gave me that same feeling in the lower back after long drives, but FWIW the Fit doesn't.

Other than my gripes about highway noise and MPG's, my only other complaint would be around getting parts for the car. Some replacement parts for the car are surprisingly expensive for a car that was around $15k new, and because they only sold the GD for 2 years in the US, finding used parts isn't always easy. Luckily I haven't had to buy too many. Oh, and I've had really bad luck with the OEM wheel studs breaking or stripping out.

Due to the difficulty of finding a stick shift / V6 Accord or TL in good shape, I got to thinking about a couple options that only came with an automatic, like Dodge Chargers. And then I realized there's another potentially interesting entry in the RWD large sedan category - first generation Hyundai Genesis! Even V8 examples are starting to fall into this price range. Any thoughts on what to look out for on these? A great bargain, or is a used Genesis a one way ticket to the Land of Confusion?

As far as headroom in the Forte... I never had a problem at 6' with a sunroof car wearing a helmet. The tilt/telescope brought the wheel out far enough to make it comfortable. the wife's second gen is just as roomy and a nicer place to be. First gen cars in manual SX model are just a lot of fun. 

In your price range, you are looking at a 1st gen Soul I am guessing, and they are no fun to drive. They have no power, but worse, the manual is horrid. It will not be rushed, and won't downshift to second unless you are at a near standstill. My wife had one and it was great for her laid-back driving style, but I could not stand it. Also, behind the rear seats you have about 12" of space. Its tall, but not deep at all. A 2020 Soul Turbo is a different animal, but I would not recommend the first generation. I would go for the Accord over the Soul any day of the week.

Update - after being somewhat disappointed at what was available in the $6000 range, I was able to find a bit more money in the budget and bought Dieselgate buy-back 2013 Passat for $10,000 out the door. This one is a DSG instead of a real manual, but I did drive a 6 speed manual TDI as well (it had mechanical problems) and the DSG doesn't give up as much response as a normal automatic. It does very good at the comfortable cruiser part, has pretty decent handling, and 62,000 miles. Probably the best combination of low miles and recent model year I was able to find in a mid-sized car for the price

I think you made a solid choice! We replaced my wife's totaled Corolla with a 2011 DSG Sportwagon TDI that a good friend was selling. PO had loaded a tune on the engine and transmission. It has been a solid vehicle for the last year and a half. It will do 500 miles on a tank of diesel. Be sure to steer clear of the higher % biodiesel blends!

Alright then. In GRM fashion, OP ignores recommendations and spends over budget. 

Seriously though, congrats! I like the TDI power and fuel efficiency and the DSG sure beats a CVT. Wish they were cheaper. Please let us know how it treats you.

I'm sure the backseat in the Passat seems like a limo! Congrats on the snag.

Good choice, we bought two TDi's last year, an 11' Touareg and a 12' JSW.  Download the service interval recommendations, IDI-parts has every service kit you'll need.