As many of y'all know I've been rockin' a 2006 TL 6MT for the last five years and absolutely love that car; rock solid on the roads, a joy to drive, really good fuel economy, great reliability, and a car which literally eats up highway miles with aplomb.

The issue? I rarely drive it any more. Why? My previous company institute work from home in March of 2020, and my new job is permanent work from home (with frequent trips to the airport for which I use Uber/Lyft) I've driven it a whopping 6,000 miles in the last two years, and that includes two road trips; take those two trips away and my annual mileage for normal around town stuff drops to like 2,000 miles per year.

Given I'm a "car-guy", and given I'm self-professed MTB (Manual Transmission Bigot), I've been thinking to buy one of the last vehicles produced with a manual transmission; you know, VW Golf R, BMW M3 (hate the new schnozzle), Mazda Miata, or possibly even a Porsche Cayman. My son, also a total gear head and MTB, had an alternate suggestion last weekend, what about, *GASP*, a Toyota Tacoma TRD Sport? Oddly enough, his suggestion made a lot of sense; use the Tacoma as my daily driver, the difference in fuel economy between it and the TL when I'm only driving a few thousand miles a year will only amount to a few dollars, however, I could then explore some other options my wife and I have been eyeing, namely a small(ish) boat and/or a small(ish) travel trailer.

Given the Tacoma is set for a 2023 refresh, and given it is as yet unknown whether the new model will be available with a 6MT, I might head over to my local Toyota dealership, take one out for a test drive, and inquire about ordering one with the specs I want (I checked inventories and there don't appear to be any fully tarted up 6MT ones in the Blue Crush Metallic color anywhere within 500 miles). I'll keep y'all posted.

 

What about waiting until the end of the year and looking into a new M2 that doesn't have the fugly face? Other options are the new Bronco or the Wrangler/Gladiator. New Civic is pretty nice too.

 

I've never driven a 6MT Taco, but my brother-in-law had a 2016 Taco Sport ext-cab for a while before his current Tundra.
It was a nice truck, & drove decently the few times I got behind the wheel. A huge jump from the '98 5MT Taco he had before it.

Make sure to call ahead before driving to the dealer. I imagine a 6MT Taco is a rarity on dealer lots, in normal times. Now, I'd be a bit shocked to find one in stock, since I'm sure it'd be a slow mover.

 

I had a 6mt 2000 Tundra with the 4 liter 6 and it was fun to drive. Good luck as dealers & prices are insane right now.

 

Be prepared to pay through the nose.

 

There are a half-dozen dealers in my area with 6MT TRD Sports in stock, most are the Army Green color which is a non-starter for me. I didn't count the number, but my gut tells me I saw easily 20 6MTs within 25 miles of home. Maybe not such a slow mover here in New Hamster.

 

I'll happily pay sticker for one of these, and given the Tacoma has the highest resale value of any vehicle sold in North America these days (depending upon who you believe regarding resale value), it won't be like I'll lose too much if/when I sell it.

 

 

Drive one first. Personally, I hate the seating position in the Tacoma. It's almost like a sports car sitting on the floor. Didn't feel right. But other people love them so there you go.

 

Good advice which I will definitely follow; if it ain't a good drive, I ain't buyin' it.

 

I just don’t understand how you’re considering cross shopping an M3 / Cayman and a Tacoma …

Pick a proper manual sports car and leave the Tacomas to .. Tacoma.

 

If you need a truck, get a truck. If you want a sports car then get a sports car. You could consider the Subaru BRZ/Toyota AE86 twins if a car is in the cards. C&D just did a write up on the new one and they say it's a good car. 6MT included.

2022 Subaru BRZ

 

If you are getting a fully loaded Tacoma, get ready to pay quite a bit of $$$. I got a new one a few years ago for what I thought was a lot for what it was yet the prices have gone up tremendously since then.

 

The point I tried to make is, I U-S-E-D to drive fifteen to eighteen thousand miles per year, now it is like two to three; back then it would have been no contest; a sporty car would have gotten the nod. These days I drive to run local errands and that's about it; given my wife and I would love to do the whole weekend getaway thing at some point, having a small truck would pay dividends.

​​​​​​​I want a sports car, but over the last two years the level "want" on the "Want Index" has dropped dramatically. A BRZ/AE86 were something I briefly considered, but if I'm getting a small rockin' ride it'll either be a 4-Door or a 'Vert.

Quite honestly, I don't care about the price; it/when I sell it I'll get more than a fair return.

 

Good luck, dealers are adding 4k+ to prices.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/car-dea...ce-11624959180

Car Dealers Are Selling More Vehicles Above the Sticker Price

It’s a seller’s market, but production shortfalls also mean dealerships must manage with lower sales volume

 

Fortunately here in New Hamster things are going pretty much for sticker. Yes, I understand there are some areas of the country where price gouging is going on; even though I can afford the markup, if faced with the choice of pay the mark up or walk, I'll walk, if for no other reason than principle.

 

I'm old enough to remember not paying sticker (I usually buy used for just that reason) so even paying MSRP is abhorrent.

As far as mileage, I am in the same boat as you, I got a 5.7 4X4 Sequoia in April, everyone was like the horror of high gas costs, I am 100% wfh & have literally been averaging a tank a month. (at an average of 12 mpg) My wife is getting 3 months on her 12 gallon Prius tank!

 

https://www.autoblog.com/2022/01/14/...ransmission-2/



Manual supra incomnig?!?!

 

agreed. cross-shopping vehicles solely based on transmission choices is short-sighted to me.

 

I think you missed the point; I'm cross shopping based upon the dramatic reduction in the amount of driving I do these days and a changing outlook on what driving I will be likely to do in the future. The transmission choice comes into play only once the vehicle type is chosen; the list of cars I've come up with on my short list are some of the few remaining which come from the factory with a manual transmission. I should also add an underlying motive; a day is coming where manuals will entirely disappear from showrooms, and since I'm in a place to buy now, I might as well.

 

What kind of car does the wife own? Could that fill the Tacoma gap for towing a small travel trailer?

The way I see it - Since you don't drive often and you've had a sedan this long, I think the F80 M3 6MT is a logical next step - it literally checks all boxes for what a 4 door sedan CAN do.

 

LOL, Mrs. Shoez has a 5-Door 2016 Mazda3 s GT; not exactly a heavy-duty hauler. That said, I've been toying with the idea of stopping by a local dealership chain from which we've purchased several cars (including the Mazda3) just to see if I could swing a deal for a new Mazda CX-5 Signature for her and a Tacoma for me.

This is all in the theoretical stage at this point; I'm so freakin' busy with my job I barely have time to go outside for a run.

 

Also remember that a manual in a truck is not going to be even remotely close to as good as what's in your TL right now. They are pretty garbage lol.

 

6MT Wrangler/Gladiator?
Ticks the MT, 'sedan' and convertible boxes. Can tow a light load.

 

LOL, compared to the 5-Speed in the 1989 Bronco I have in storage, the Tacoma's 6-Speed manual will be a dream to operate.

 

Not a big fan of the new Jeeps; if I was going to hunt down a Jeep I'd go for an older 4.9 liter I6 Wrangler.

 

Everybody's different but, if I didn't drive often ... I would want whatever I'm driving to be special.

Tacoma's aren't special ... I feel most Toyota's feel 3 years old sitting in the showroom .

 

I can understand that sentiment; I've had cars which were "Special" and cars which, ummm, weren't.

• Special (in my mind at least):
  • 1970 Dodge Challenger RT (4MT)
  • 1979 VW Scirocco (5MT)
  • 1982 Audi Quattro (5MT)
  • 2002 BMW 530i PP/SP (5MT)
  • 2006 Acura TL (6MT)
• Less than Special:
  • 1966 Plymouth Valiant 200 (slant-six 3AT)
  • 1970 Chevy Vega (2-Speed "Slip and Slide PowerGlide")
  • 2000 Honda Accord EX V6

For me at least, a Tacoma wouldn't be special for what it is, but for what it does (tow and tote shi...schtuff). A year from now (or maybe a little more), my wife and I are planning on reentering the housing market and will probably build something with at least 3 garage bays, after that happens, maybe I'll pick up a small 2-seater of some stripe to knock around in.

 

Whole heartedly agree on your "special" list above.

Curious if you would be staying in NH or moving out of NE? We moved out of MA to VA and I very much miss MA although Mother Nature is doing her best to remind me with two recent snow falls of 5+"

 

Not your daily driver though. Daily driving a manual that was an afterthought to the design team isn't a great idea. Unfortunately most manuals these days are an afterthought.

What about a new Bronco then? If you're ok with a soft top, you can go get one right now.

I will say that the new JL drives a LOT better than my JK, like it feels like a different thing entirely better. Being that my JK drives like a covered wagon with a motor bolted to it, I cannot imagine how utterly dogshit the older Jeeps were to drive every day.

 

The plan is to stay here in New Hamster at least until our daughter graduates from her Masters program in Economics and Quantum Computing in the spring of 2023; she and her significant other, who is getting his EE at the moment, are thinking to move to the DC area as, A) he's from there and, B) the job market for the two of them in the DC area would basically be limitless. Assuming they move I may need to kiss the New Hampshire tax haven goodbye and move to VA as well; with my new job all I need to do is live near a major airport, and I'm thinking Dulles qualifies; we're currently thinking the Herndon/Reston area could work out quite nicely.

 

Though it was a 2.0T/auto, we (I) liked the JLU Sport S we looked at (2018 MY)
The test drive wasn't overly illuminating though. Mostly straight low speed neighborhood roads & a few road humps.

 

Living in New Hamster a soft top would be a challenge for a daily driver.

Regarding older Wranglers; my son had a TJ for a while with the I6 and a 5-Speed; he sold it when he discovered the 1989 Bronco (which we now have in storage here in New Hampshire) up in the mountains of Colorado. The Bronco is an Eddy Bauer edition with a 302 and a 5-Speed manual and the body and interior are remarkably clean; the wrinkle was the need for some significant maintenance (which is where Dad's check book came in), it needed an entire new rear end (I put a Jasper unit in it), and the steering qualifies as what I call an "Approximator"; the vehicle kinda-sorta goes where you direct it, errr, except when it doesn't. The steering will be another opportunity for Dad to open his check book and increase his percentage of ownership.

As for the TJ, not so great as a daily driver, an absolute ball to drive in the mountains of Colorado!

 

Yeah, Jeeps don't make for great daily drivers lol. I have mine to use it as a Jeep though on the road it's so laughably bad that it's kind of fun in a "Snakes on a Plane" kind of way. I thought about selling it a few months ago and backed out because I love the thing too much.

 

Similar to what you are considering, we followed our oldest here, who is a Flight Nurse for UVA. Her significant other is a Charlottesville Fire Fighter/Paramedic, so they aren't moving.
Dulles definitely qualifies as major but is 2.5 hours from me. Just bear in mind cost of living is likely higher in "NOVA" (Northern Virginia) and traffic can be insane in an around metro DC. I'm more central VA (Charlottesville) and although there is an airport - it's not a major airport by any stretch. Only three airlines, only regional jets and only six destinations. So probably a lot like Manchester but still smaller. I was very much used to having lots of options with Logan and TF Green.

 

Yeah, cost of living is high and traffic sucks in the NOVA area, but I figure if we're that close to Dulles we won't be spending much time on the roads as my wife will probably end up starting a work-from-home business when we move.

Regarding Manchester, I've lived within a few miles of the airport for the last ten years and loved commuting out of it, however, when the Pandemic hit, Delta pulled out and I am not a fan of Southwest or American; so these days I need to get to Logan.

 

As an aviation enthusiast and plane spotter, it sounds to me like you have a problem with Texas, specifically, Dallas.


I wish you the best in both your move and future vehicle purchase!

 

If you can swing it, always go with the Porsche... plenty of people will line up for it and offer you premium for it when you dont want it anymore. Especially if it was gonna be 6mt.. which is what you will get obviously.
Of course, the car is probably the best driving car on your list.

Unless you really have a need for a pickup truck, which you dont sound like you do. Otherwise why even bother with pickup trucks? You are adding a boring DD to another boring DD and the thing is you dont even need to DD anymore.

 

The more I see them on the road, I'm leaning a bit toward a Bronco Sport. If Ford decides to offer the non-Badlands with the 2.0T that'd be appealing.
Spotted a Maverick on the road on Saturday night, but it was behind me & only saw headlights.

 

May I also suggest - CT4 or CT5 V-Series Blackwing??

I haven't owned a GM car since the late 80's so not sure about reliability, but these two sure pack a punch and are a long way from a Tacoma.