Manual Gearbox: 2012 Mini Countryman Cooper S ALL4

If I asked you to list all of the late model 4 door sedan/wagons with a turbocharged engine, all-wheel-drive and a manual gearbox, you'd probably come back with a list of Japanese (Subaru!) rally machines and maybe a few random oddballs..but you probably wouldn't suspect that you could find such a setup in an Austrian built car that uses a British marque with a German parent company and a French engine...oh yeah. Find this 2012 Mini Countryman S All-4 offered for $5990 in Claremont, CA via craigslist.

6-Speed Rear-Engine: 2003 Porsche 911 C2

As a non-Porsche owner, it has been painful to watch the rise in prices of vintage aircooled P-cars...but I've been watching the prices of the 996/997 and they offer a shocking amount of performance and comfort (sorry 993 owners...but they are faster and more comfy...maybe not as cool...) for the cash.  To be honest, I'm thinking I need to trade the BMW I've been driving for one of these German rear-engine equipped machines...I'd better do it before they become unobtanium. Find this 2003 Porsche 911 C2 offered for $18000 in Long Beach, CA via craigslist.

Living In An Analog World: 2007 BMW 328i Wagon E91

A new BMW 3-series offers a boat load of technology, safety, performance, and gadgets for aspiring executive (or trust fund high schooler). You get the latest direct injection 4-cylinder engine that is boosted with a small turbocharger (or two?...I really don't know or care to find out) and all manner of lane departure warning systems and self leveling wheel caps...but what you can't get is a wagon or a manual gearbox in a 3-series.  BMW...I don't know you anymore.  Meh..you haven't cared about my opinion since I swore off buying new cars decades ago and have lived an autotrader/craigslist/offerup dream life...but I'm gonna miss the 3-series in about 10 years when the depreciated ones are all fitted with some kinda 8 speed slushbox flappy paddle gearbox and powered by a beryllium warp core and the steering wheel has been replaced with a joystick.  I think I now know why I've preferred the company of geezers since I was a young lad.  New digital tech is weaksauce and experience cannot be googled or found on twitter. GET OFF MY LAWN!  Find this 2007 BMW 328i Wagon offered for $9500 near Hudson Valley via craigslist. Tip from Cory.

Manual Swapped: 2001 Audi S8 Quattro

If you are a car guy and have never enjoyed the Robert De Niro and Jean Reno classic Ronin (1998) you need to schedule yourself a few hours and pick up a copy on Amazon.  The D2 generation Audi S8 was the feature car that was driven in anger by Skipp Sudduth's nerdy hacker/driver character who insists on getting a custom nitrous system and then hauls the giant sedan through small cobblestone covered French streets.  It is fantastic -- and you can watch one of the S8 scenes in a clip on youtube here.  After watching Ronin a few times, you'll get the kind of itch that only an all-wheel-drive V8 powered Audi can solve...and this next one is a bit janky, but it does have a manual gearbox swapped in from another Audi. Find this 2001 Audi S8 Quattro offered for $6800 near Minneapolis, MN. Tip from Cory.

Rare 6-Speed: 2013 BMW 328i F30

The sixth generation BMW 3-series (F30 sedan, F31 wagon, F36 Gran Turismo sportback hideous monster) was released for the 2011 model year with an inexplicably named 4-series F32 two-door coupe.  Compared to the outgoing E90/91/92 3-series the new F30/31/32/33/34/35/36 was faster, more comfortable, longer, and wider...but you've got to wonder if the additional electronic gizmos and fancified stuff makes it less fun to drive? Today we've got a rare manual transmission version offered for a decent price -- buy it and let us know how it compares to a well preserved E46 ZHP 6-spd.  Find this 2013 BMW 328i offered for $15,500 in Hartford, CT via craigslist. Tip from Art C.

LT1 V8 + 6Spd: 1973 Nissan 240Z

Nissan's athletic 240Z was sold in the USA with a Datsun badge and a silky smooth inline-6 to go with its ninja-like reflexes.  For years, folks joked that Japanese cars would never be collectable, and 240Z prices hovered above scrap value, so many were (for better or worse) turned into hot rods. Today we've got one of those hot rods and it looks like it could use some freshening...but could be fun when done. Find this 1973 Nissan 240Z offered for $6500 in Phoenix, AZ via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Don't Be Zelas: 2011 Scion tC 6-Speed

Classic depreciation curves too a strange turn in the 2010 decade and cars that are 3 years old command about the same price as cars that are 10 years old.  This is especially the case with cheapo mass market economy cars, but this next car seems appropriately cheap for 10 year old Scion. Find this 2011 Scion tC 6-Speed offered for $6,400 in San Jose, CA via craigslist.

Ferrari Power, Fiat Price: 2002 Maserati GT Coupé

I'm not usually someone who recommends buying a car that looks like it was pimped out using parts from the Pep Boys "krome" aisle...but what if that car had a Ferrari V8 and a 6-speed manual gearbox?  And at $10k this car should be worth it for the engine alone...but I dunno. Find this 2002 Maserati GT Coupé offered for $10,000 in Campbell, CA via craigslist. Tip from Matthew.

6 Speed Manual Equipped: 2014 Ford Fusion SE EcoBoost

The Ford Fusion was introduced for the 2006 model year as a replacement for Ford's aging mid sized Taurus platform.  The Taurus name did survive on something that was called the Ford Five Hundred and the Taurus over various years...but the Fusion was the mid sized sedan offering that was surprisingly offered with a 6-speed manual box for a few years, including this next one that is powered by the 1.6 liter EcoBoost 4-banger. Find this 2014 Ford Fusion SE EcoBoost offered for $6,500 in Danbury, CT via craigslist. Tip from Cory.

6-Speed V8: 2005 Cadillac CTS-V

Cadillac launched their CTS-V sport sedan in 2004 with a manual gearbox and firebreathing V8 that was nothing short of awesome.  The standard CTS sedan was focused on stealing sales from cars like the Mercedes-Benz C-Class or BMW 3/5 series..but the V-version was aimed at stealing sales from BWM's M division and Mercedes-Benz AMG division...and those German sedans are wicked and fast...but seriously complicated and used engines built like time bombs...but the Cadillac used a pushrod V8 from the Corvette that was simple to fix...and I think the CTS-V is the choice for the cheap driver. Find this 2005 Cadillac CTS-V offered for $8,500 in New York via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

6 Speed Manual: 2003 Ford Focus SVT

Four thousand smackeroos doesn't buy you much in a late model performance car these days, but you can get a Mini Cooper S or a Fiat 500 Abarth if you find something with a questionable title status or high miles...but if hot hatches are your jam, I suggest checking out a high mile SVT Ford with a manual box. Find this 2003 Ford Focus SVT offered for $3999 in San Diego, CA via craigslist.

4 Door Vette: 2004 Cadillac CTS-V

Here is a riddle for you: What is black on the outside, a family car on the inside and a Corvette on the underside?  If you said a frog, you are wrong...it is this next car..the legendary first generation CTS-V, which combined Corvette LS6 power and T56 manual transmission in a family friendly package. Find this 2004 Cadillac CTS-V here on eBay bidding for $8,100 reserve-not-met with 5 days to go, located in Dayton, OH.

Fast 6-Speed: 2004 Audi S4

This next car comes from tipper SecondMouse who writes: OOOOH. Around my house, this car is better known as the marriage ender. It's a long, scary story, but it ended with me getting rid of an A8 that was a bad luck magnet with a terrible automatic transmission. Anyway, these S4s are much sought after, none more so than the version with the standard transmission. This example is awesome in black, RS4 wheels, and all the expensive stuff reported done to it already and still hasn't rolled the odometer. Unfortunately, it is too small to sleep in. Find this 2004 Audi S4 offered for $10,495 located in Magnolia, TX via craigslist.

LT1 6-Speed: 1996 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

While the later LS1 powered Camaro (launched in 1998) might get all the glory for being the cheapest way to go fast..but there was an older Camaro that was almost as fast and also available with a 6-speed gearbox.  Find this 1996 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 offered for $4000 in Los Banos, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Cheap Horsepower: 2006 Mazdaspeed6

There was a time when Mazda was just another entry into the world of cheap Japanese economy cars.  Most Mazdas built in the '80s & '90s had all the reliability, charisma, and fun factor of a dollar store enema kit, but sometime in the early '00s (that's pronounced "oughts" like "I oughta smack you for buying an automatic transmission") the product planners at Mazda decided that they needed to create fast cars that looked good...what a concept!! Today you can find used turbo Mazdas for REALLY cheap.  Find this 2006 Mazdaspeed6 offered for $5,600 in Gardena, CA via craigslist.

6-Speed Touring: 2008 BMW 328i Wagon E91

Yeah...I know.  You could get an E46 M3 with fewer digits flipped on the odo, and you could get a high mileage STI or Legacy GT Wagon for the same pile of dough...but this car calls to the people who remember when BMW built the best luxury/sport wagons with manual gearboxes on the planet.  Those days are LONG gone...and the manual gearbox has become a punchline and an anti-theft device...BUT if I had to pick ONE car to daily drive this car every single day of my driving life...it'd look a lot like this 2008 BMW 328i E91 wagon offered for $12,500 in Richmond, VA via craigslist. Tip from Jeff.

Turbocharged 6-Speed: 2007 Mazda Mazdaspeed 3

Mazda is like the Dodge of Japan. Honda and Toyota fight like Ford and GM over bragging rights to the "best" volume sales cars and the "fastest" supercars, but Mazda just drops some crazy fun cars like the inexplicably named Mazdaspeed 3, which combined the best attributes of a small front drive family economy car with a turbocharged engine, limited slip diff, and a 6-speed manual box from 2007 through 2009 (second generation version with big smiley face was sold from 2010-2013).  Think of the Mazdaspeed 3 like a Mini Cooper S with an injection of muscle car grunt and size.  Find this 2007 Mazda Mazdaspeed 3 offered for $5950 in Hayward, CA via craigslist.