Many, perhaps most, Americans cannot or do not want to drive a stick shift. And why would they want to? An automatic or continuous variable transmission is effortless; you just shift into drive, press the throttle, and there you go. If you are into pure performance, a dual-clutch automatic can shift faster than any manual transmission.
The reasons why there are so many stick shift diehards out there have nothing to do with cost or fuel consumption or any other practical reason. A stick shift gives the driver greater control. Driving becomes a visceral experience. The driver combines the sound of the engine and the feeling of the road to instinctively shift up or down. There are still a few models with stick shift on the market, and then there are some really tasty used options, giving you real seat-of-the-pants driving at great prices.
The 2025 Toyota GR86 is a small front-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car designed for maximum driving fun on a serious budget. It has four seats, but unless you have quite small children, it is a two-seater. It is the mechanical twin of the Subaru BRZ, also sharing the 228-horsepower flat-four engine and six-speed manual.
The Toyota GR86 is a pretty car, beautifully styled. It has sharp steering and taut handling, and the interior is well-designed. Although it has less horsepower than a Camry, it only weighs 2,800 pounds. That makes the GR86 reasonably quick, while its low center of gravity makes it the ideal car to power through sweeping curves, while riding the stick.
The 2026 Volkswagen Jetta GLI is the basic, practical compact Jetta sedan loved by commuters and busy families, but spiced up to Golf GTI level with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbo that makes 228 horsepower. The Jetta comes with a seven-speed automatic, which gives a faster 0-60 time, and a six-speed manual for an additional dose of driver engagement.
The Volkswagen Jetta GLI is a nicely spacious, affordable family sedan or daily commuter. But the combination of extra turbo power and slick stick shift makes it ideal for a weekend away, especially if the route includes a couple of challenging mountain passes.
The 2025 Subaru WRX Sedan is a production car that flowed from Subaru’s rally program. It is a five-seat sporty sedan with the typical Subaru flat-four engine, turbocharged to 271 horsepower. All-wheel drive is standard, as is a six-speed manual transmission in the first two trims. A CVT is also available on all trims.
The Subaru WRX is a fun car to drive. Although it has grown more refined over the years, losing much of the rally edge, the engine still makes a raucous noise as it is redlined through the gears.
The 2026 Ford Bronco, although perfectly at home on the school run or leading a gaggle of cop cars on a highway, retains its outdoors vibe. The Bronco is available as a hard top, a soft top, and with removable doors and roof panels.
The Ford Bronco has four-wheel drive and comes in various engine sizes, including a 418-horsepower Raptor model. The 300-horsepower turbo four is the baseline trim, and that comes with a slick seven-speed manual transmission, or the ten-speed automatic standard on the higher trims. The manual model is reasonably capable off-road, and this can be further enhanced with an optional off-road kit.
It is John Cena’s favorite daily drive. The 2025 Honda Civic Type R was only allowed into the US in 2017, and it has firmly embedded its place among petrol heads for its hectic performance, exceptional driveability, wild styling, and slick six-speed manual gearbox. It goes head-to-head with the slightly insane Toyota Corolla GR and the Golf R. The Honda Civic R is way more expensive than the more civil Civics most of us drive, but such performance comes at a price.
The Honda Civic Type R has a turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder with a performance exhaust that makes 315 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. The six-speed stick shift allows the driver to get the maximum out of the power components, like the bigger radiator and lighter flywheel.
The Mazda MX5_Miata is a classic two-seater, originally created to replace the old British two-seaters in 1990. Since then, the Miata has built its own personality, never overly powerful, but welded to the road by the low-slung body and slick manual transmission. There is an automatic available, but we don’t talk about that. You can get a new one with a manual transmission, but used models of the current generation are exceptional value.
The Mazda Miata became an instant classic, and earlier models are quite expensive to buy. It went through four generations, starting at NA and now in ND. The ND, launched in 2014, is still more or less in depreciation territory. And there you will find real stick-shift gold.
Most modern vehicles have some form of power assistance in the engine bay, but these ten reliable SUVs still use naturally aspirated engines.
Jeep was born as a light, go-anywhere, tough-as-nails battlefield vehicle in WWII. The name stuck, and although the current 2026 Jeep Wrangler is way bigger and far more civilized, it is still more of an off-roader at heart and in driving manners. It has air-conditioning, power windows, can be fitted with leather seats, boasts a touchscreen and nav, Wi-Fi, and such. The standard Wrangler is a two-door, but there is a four-door option as well.
The Jeep Wrangler comes with a variety of engine sizes, but the 285-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 can be had with a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic. The Jeep is a hardy vehicle, and a five-year-old Wrangler will take on the Ford Bronco head-on.
The 2021 Ford Mustang is one of the iconic world cars, helping set the pony/muscle car standard for about 60 years. The Mustang is available in the traditional V8, the four-pot turbo EcoBoost, and even quite a wild EV. It is the original front-engine, rear-wheel-drive muscle car.
Both the V8 and the surprisingly powerful EcoBoost are available with a six-speed manual transmission as standard, or a 10-speed automatic. A 2020 or ’21 Mustang hits the sweet spot of still fresh design at a much more affordable price.
The 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 has long achieved the impossible, finding a perfectly balanced and sweet handling car despite the heavy engine hanging over the rear axle. Porsche is also exceptionally well-made, to the point where it added a ten-year warranty when a defective part caused problems in the mid-2010s.
Through the years, Porsche 911 models have become more powerful and broken all kinds of track records. But the 911 is a classic, and drivers who enjoy driving a responsive stick shift Porsche don’t really care about the horsepower, but rather about feeling the road under them, and dealing with oversteer at speed. An early 2000s 911 at under $40K is still a whole lot of car.
Most modern vehicles have some form of power assistance in the engine bay, but these ten reliable SUVs still use naturally aspirated engines.
Toyota is known for its staid practicality, but it has a wild side as well, with GR — Gazoo Racing — added to the names. The 2020 Toyota GR Supra shares a great deal with the BMW Z4, but it has a younger look and feel compared to the German. The Supra’s cabin is snug, but it is a dedicated driver’s car, designed for long, sweeping curves, and burning up a racetrack.
The Supra GR has a 382-horsepower 3.0-liter turbo-six engine. The standard transmission is an eight-speed automatic, but the six-speed manual is available at no extra cost. Although the Supra name goes back many decades, the Supra GR was only introduced in 2019. For a car like this, even the used price is still steep, and the buyer may struggle to find a nice manual transmission at a reasonable price, but they are out there, and totally worth it.
Sources: Manufacturers, Edmunds.com
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