Suggestions for nice car under $15k

[bigred29067]

I know i might be asking for the impossible here but i'm going to ask for your advice anyway.

I want a new car. I would like it to get better than 20mpg. I would like it to have a manual transmission. I would like it to have some get up and go!
But i also need some cargo area. At least enough space to lay a 2X6' flat. I fly model airplanes and that is how much room i need to lay my wings. So i want a car that the back seat will lay down.
And this will be an everyday driver so it needs to be reliable.


....any suggestions?

[akboss]

Originally Posted by bigred29067

I know i might be asking for the impossible here but i'm going to ask for your advice anyway.

I want a new car. I would like it to get better than 20mpg. I would like it to have a manual transmission. I would like it to have some get up and go!
But i also need some cargo area. At least enough space to lay a 2X6' flat. I fly model airplanes and that is how much room i need to lay my wings. So i want a car that the back seat will lay down.
And this will be an everyday driver so it needs to be reliable.


....any suggestions?

If you need cargo space, I'd say a wagon is pretty much your only bet, unless you're open to hatchbacks. Here's my initial suggestions: Subaru Forester XT Turbo, Honda Element (not really fast, but super flexible cargo - also Mazda5), Mazda6 wagon with V6, and just about every mini-SUV but mileage suffers. Also Volkswagen made some great wagons (Jetta 1.8T, Passat 2.0T) but it all depends on your definition of 'reliable' - VW's tend to get 'quirky' as they age, but they are a beautiful drive.

If you're open to smaller hatchbacks, Mazda3 is a great drive, practical, quick and falls neatly into your price range.