What car: 5 passengers, 4 doors, 3 pedals.

Just tossing around some ideas.

For the past year I've been DDing a 2003 TrailBlazer and while it works, it's rather... Boring.

I miss having a manual trans, and the TrailBlazer has been really reliable, only thing I've had to do in the past year is a wheel bearing and a set of tires. It has its quirks and issues, but what early 2000s GM doesn't?

I occasionally haul three kids, two in car seats. So something like a WRX would be cramped in the back seat in that situation.

Analyzing the pros and cons of what I've got now:

Pros

1. Four wheel drive.
2. Tow package.
3. Paid for.
4. Quietest car I've ever owned.

Cons.

1. Slow and boring.
2. Terrible fuel mileage.
3. Electrical quirks and broken interior bits that are annoying, but tolerable.

So what are we looking at to replace it? Accord sedans with this stick are rare, manual Maximas are usually trashed, and the Mazda 6 with the V6 has a tendency to blow up.

What say ye? This is for DD duties so it will remain stock, with my third gen serving project car duties.

Accords seem to do the trick, although they were only available in the 4cyl/5spd combo in the sedan for a while until the turbo engines came out in the latest generation.  They have good room in the back seat for 3 across, though, which seems like one of your key requirements.

The manuals are thinner on the ground, but they are out there.  As a bonus, they're usually a bit cheaper than the autos.

Mazda5 with a manual?

2008 Honda Civic Si sedan? I have one I would sell. 

I have a 6 spd manual in a JKU.  I had to look around awhile to find one that was also a Rubicon.  Plenty of room.  Handles great (for a Jeep).  Shifts really nice.  It's still slow although Jeep people hoot about how powerful the 3.6 Pentastar is.  I guess it depends on what you're used to.  It's geared low enough (4.10) that I usually just go 1, 3, 5, 6 from a standstill or 2, 3, 5, 6 from a roll.  It's almost never in 4th.

Acura TL with a 6-speed.

I don’t think a JKU will get better gas mileage than... anything.

When I found a manual 4th gen Outback (2010-2014) I jumped on it. It replaced a Mazda6 that was more fun to drive, but would get stuck in my slightly sloped driveway in winter even with new snow tires.  The Subaru hasn’t even hinted at getting stuck yet.  I average 25mpg in my 2012 which was the last year of the EJ motors. Our second munchkin is due in a month, so I’ll be finding out how well two car seats plus the occasional passenger fit soon enough. 

E36 M3/4/5?

even a regular E36 or an E39?

3 kids two in car seats +2 adults is going to be tight even in a car like my E class or a 5 series. Unless its like 2 boosters or at least one booster. You will find more BMW with manual trans than many of the other options. An accord v6 is probably a good place to start

For forward facing I had the best luck with the kids not in the seat sitting in the center with their shoulders going behind the "Wings" of the child seats. This worked well in our '03 and '02 WRX. The problem with the European cars is the outer two seats are very dished with the middle being a hump that sits above and forward of the outer two. This puts the middle kids shoulders level with the child seat wings making them share the width instead of overlapping like they do in a WRX. If you have two rear facing seats the middle kids shoulders go above the seats so shoulders aren't a problem. Then you just have to worry about legroom for the driver and front passenger.

The two car seats are forward facing designs with one in a 5 point harness, the other a high back booster using a seat belt.

I heard e39 m5. Totally not the right answer, but whatever 

E39s are great except for standard BMW issues of the era. They have complex wiring from a bad era, typical BMW cooling systems and a few leak issues. They drive great, get good fuel economy and are pretty reliable with the cooling system fixed.

Infinity G35 sedan can be had with a manual on the RWD cars. The back seat isn't as big as an Accord but it can hold a car seat.I think the Infinity is more fun

BoostedBrandon said:

The two car seats are forward facing designs with one in a 5 point harness, the other a high back booster using a seat belt.

fwiw I have 2, 7 and 4, Harness Booster 4, Seat Belt Booster 7, you could definitely mash another kid between them in my E-350 (the sedan not the van). If it was big ole convertible car seats or rear facing yeah no go. I'd be looking at things that fall into the 5 series E class range not the 3 series et al. What kind of budget are you going to have to play with? 

In reply to Jaynen :

Maximum of around $7000

Saab 93 would fit the bill

saab 9-7X aero, it's a rwd bias LS powered version of what you have. They are thirsty vehicles though. 

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/open-classifieds/saab-95-wagon/135684/page1/

Matrix XRS, Corolla XRS, or Vibe GT all pre-09 for the 2zz

BoostedBrandon said:

The two car seats are forward facing designs with one in a 5 point harness, the other a high back booster using a seat belt.

This works fine in my 02 wrx sedan, I imagine there would be more room in an 08+ Wagon

Boosted Volvo

To me, the easy button here is a 7th gen v6 Accord or 3rd gen TL. Actually, the TL would be a sight easier to find with a stick and probably be better taken care of overall.  

I had an 8th Gen Accord - 5-speed.  They are out there - mine was comfortable and way more roomier in back than our 2003 Trailblazer.  I've owned 1 Honda product and was impressed after 155,000 miles that it will be a marque I buy in the future again.

Unless Nissan comes out with that Retro Nissan Datsun 510 I have been waiting for.