Searching for a Manual-Transmission Car

The other day, after a change of heart, I wrote on the blog that I’d decided to buy a used manual-transmission car of my own by the end of this year—ideally by summer. Since then, I’ve been checking used-car websites almost every day.

ポルシェのMT車を颯爽と乗りこなす、かっこいい女性になるために。

I had plenty of time to look, so I wanted to take it slow and find the right car. I checked Goo and Carsensor day after day, but hardly any new listings seemed to come up…

When I told my husband, “I guess used-car listings aren’t updated with new cars every single day,” he said,

Well, even if new used-car listings are added every day, it’s not like the exact model you’re interested in will show up every day.

Fair enough. Of course he was right.

And even when a car looked “cheap!” based on price alone, it often had very high mileage or was so old that it seemed likely to need a lot of maintenance. Then I spotted one that looked promising: low mileage, a pretty good price, and a nice-looking example. When I asked my husband about it, he said,

It’s cheap because the suspension, exhaust, wheels, and other parts have been modified. If it were stock, it’d probably cost a bit more with the same mileage and model year. Modifications can be fine if you want a car for track days or spirited driving, though.

When I said that I couldn’t tell at a glance whether a car had been modified or was stock, he explained,

The listing title mentions a Remus exhaust, and the photos show things like the suspension springs to highlight the modifications. In general, certified pre-owned cars should have few, if any, modifications, so it’s a good idea to look for listings marked “certified pre-owned.”

I see—there’s a lot to learn about searching for a car.

When you’re looking for a car that’s not too old, low-mileage, reasonably priced, unmodified and stock, and certified pre-owned, there aren’t many to choose from. And if you do find one, plenty of other people will want it too, so it’s likely to sell quickly.

On top of that, if I get picky and say, “I want this color!” it feels like the right car will never come along…

Honestly, I’m amazed that people manage to find and buy the car they want among all those listings. It really is impressive.

Cars Are Expensive

Since deciding to buy a car myself and starting to research the costs, I’ve really come to appreciate just how much money owning a car can take. I knew that already, of course, but it feels very different when you’re about to pay for one yourself.

And buying a car is only the beginning. The ongoing costs can really add up: parking, fuel, vehicle tax, tolls, inspection fees, and repairs if something breaks…

Each expense may seem manageable on its own, but add them all together and the total can get pretty substantial.

Five and a half years ago, when I became a mother for the first time, I thought, “Anyone who’s gone through the agony of childbirth is incredible,” and gained a newfound respect for mothers everywhere. Now I feel the same way about car owners: people who own a car are amazing.

A BMW 320i Is Coming Home…

Since announcing that I was going to buy a manual-transmission car, I’ve received all kinds of comments on the blog.

It might be a good idea to work out what you need to improve in your manual driving before choosing a car.
If the issue when driving a Porsche is that your shifts or clutch engagement are jerky, you could get a sportier model and practice easing off the throttle and using the clutch’s friction point.
On the other hand, if you’re slipping the clutch for too long or revving too high when pulling away, practicing quick, smooth starts in an ordinary car while using the clutch as little as possible could help.

Italian and French manual-transmission cars are easy to drive, don’t stall easily, and have a decent amount of power. I think taking lots of test drives is important.

Those comments were really helpful. I thought, “Since I have the chance, it might be worth test-driving manual cars from a range of manufacturers.” So the other day, my family and I stopped by a used BMW dealership after spotting a promising car on a used-car website. My husband had said,

This one’s rear-wheel drive, so it should be good for practicing the basics of manual driving. It’s turbocharged, so it has plenty of torque low down and should be fun to drive with a manual gearbox. Plus, the 2.0-liter engine means the taxes won’t be too high.

I had no intention of buying it at all. We’d only popped in for a quick look. But then…

Believe it or not, I bought it on the spot! ((((；ﾟДﾟ)))

Even I was surprised. My heart kept pounding for quite a while after signing the contract. And here’s the car I ordered.

A 2014 BMW 320i. I saw it in person, climbed in, and got to try out the clutch and gearshift—and it just clicked. I’ll share more in a separate post about why I chose this BMW.

Well, I never expected things to turn out this way… Life really is full of surprises (haha).