[Viju]

So I am 40, happily married, with 2 beautiful kids. I bought the perfect vehicle for my family (a spacious 3 row SUV) just over a year ago, and it is really nice to drive - AWD, comfy, luxurious etc.

But this past Saturday night, I woke up from a terrible nightmare - all sweaty, scared and feeling really awful. I have had a few 'regular' cars until now, in multiple body styles - hatchback, wagon, minivan, and now, SUV.

But all of them have been Front Wheel Drive, at best, with part-time AWD. And the past three cars I have owned have been automatics - two of them were dreadful CVTs no less! I have never owned a car with more than 4 cylinders, or over 250 bhp.

The world is going electric, and fast! As a self-proclaimed, born petrol-head and keen driver for the past four decades, I could not believe I did not prioritize buying a fun-to-drive car for myself.

Sipping my coffee, looking at the sun rising over the Tokyo skyline, I wondered if I made a terrible mistake, and forever lost my chance of buying a 'real' fun-to-drive car brand new from the showroom - which in my definition goes like this:

- Low-lung, sporty, sedan - must be beautiful
- 6 cylinders
- Front engine
- Rear wheel drive
- 300 bhp+
- 450 N-m+
- 4 doors, 5 seats
- 6 speed Manual Transmission
- RHD

Before my family could even get out of their beds, I frantically started searching online for such a car.

After an hour or so, I could find only one car which met all criteria. But I am pretty sure the date of expiry on this five year old bottle of wine is not much longer (I cannot buy my next car before 2026 at least, unless I win the lotto, which is impossible, as I don't buy it!).

Pic courtesy: bcimracing

Am I missing something? Is this it? Did I miss my chance of ever owning my dream car, brand new from the factory?

And no, you cannot convince me to go for the ZF Auto, no matter how good it is! (Believe me I know it is good, ZF is my employer no less).

Help?

[DicKy]

Originally Posted by Viju

- Low-lung, sporty, sedan - must be beautiful
- 6 cylinders
- Front engine
- Rear wheel drive
- 300 bhp+
- 450 N-m+
- 4 doors, 5 seats
- 6 speed Manual Transmission
- RHD

Erm... I won't vouch for the beauty part. But all these do scream at that quintessential sports sedan. The M3. Though am not sure of the manual transmission part in Japan. A decade ago, maybe could point towards Nissan or Toyota for the above mentioned criteria (except adjust power for the 2000s)

The Alfa Romeo while beautiful to look and hear, from the reviews it seems Italian enough. One look at that B pillar positioning, you know this won't be as well thought out as the Germans.

Assuming you would be coming back to India for good, why not use TR when you plan to come back to import a car that would not just be a keeper, but a heirloom too. ( I sound stupid saying that)

[GForceEnjoyer]

I'd say no, the dream sports sedan isn't dead for now. With a manual though? That is debatable.

The Cadillac CT-5 V Blackwing is currently my definition of a sports sedan (not luxury sports sedan, under which I'd classify cars like the M5). A purely rear-wheel drive sedan with a manual transmission paired to a 6.2 Litre 670 horsepower supercharged V8 engine is literally what dreams are made of!

But Japan unfortunately does not get it, so your best bet would indeed be an Alfa Romeo Giulia or an M3 (less the manual unfortunately). Truth be told, manuals in this segment are really rare nowadays. So unless you're happy with an automatic transmission, the options become rather limited. A BMW 540i came to mind too, but then again no manual available unfortunately. I can only wish you good luck with your search.

[TheHelix0202]

Being 20, I’ve had the exact same sudden realisation about sports sedans going extinct.

But why don’t you look at a nice pre-owned JDM in Tokyo? Now I don’t know the first thing about Japan’s used car market, but look around. Or settle for an M3 / M4.

[carthick1000]

Originally Posted by Viju

- Low-lung, sporty, sedan - must be beautiful
- 6 cylinders
- Front engine
- Rear wheel drive
- 300 bhp+
- 450 N-m+
- 4 doors, 5 seats
- 6 speed Manual Transmission
- RHD


Am I missing something? Is this it? Did I miss my chance of ever owning my dream car, brand new from the factory?

You should be lucky your search returned one model in Japan. I just put in your search here in NL and got 0 models. Not even Giulia Quadrifoglio is offered in manual here. (OT: Also a ZF colleague here )

[vj123]

Your nightmare is going to become true in the coming years. There are very few options in the market which meets your criteria: CT4/5 Blackwing, Giulia Quadrifoglio (not sold everywhere with a manual) and M3/4.

I was in a similar boat (sans manual due to other issues) for several years and finally decided to move forward with a M3 early this year. I have shared my experience in an ownership thread as well. I was planning to get one towards the end of the current G8x platform (production ends in 2027) but decided to move forward with the purchase as BMW was implementing iDrive 8 with horrendous screens in MY23.

[androdev]

I think knocking off MT from the list is a pragmatic thing to do. As a typical Indian driver who has driven MT for many years (not high end cars), it's a reasonable compromise. To be honest, when I drive the PDK (ZF :-)) in manual mode, the only reason I wish for an MT is that I don't have the monies to repair if the PDK gives up on me. The attention/focus required, the involvement and the control at your disposal - I don't miss anything. I could drive the car for many more years and I would be still be short of exploiting the full potential of the machine. I would pick a better engine with a slick AT over an average engine with MT. Maybe if I were someone who grew up driving slush boxes, I would have been fascinated by the exotic nature of MT.

[karanddd]

Agree with you on all the criteria (especially MT transmission) except the sedan body style. To me the best kind of driving machine is a low-slung, small two-door car, RWD with the engine either in the front (Porsche 911, Miata) or in the middle (too many to list: Cayman, Elise, Corvette, then of course the big boys Ferrari and Lambo). A sedan feels too practical and big and heavy for the kind of thing I envision (& I can only envision). I do get the appeal of sedans too, they feel more muscular and at the same time can be sleepers. Albeit new sports sedans like the M cars or AMGs go overboard with the bodykits to the point where they are not sleepers at all.

The one criterion I would add (which I know is not very popular): naturally aspirated engine. Something about an NA engine, the super precise linear response means that you feel more connected to the car, as if the throttle and the engine and its power are natural extensions of your right foot. So for me the ideal car, depending on budget and cylinder count:

1. Miata, cheap, 4 cylinders,
2. Cayman, pricey, 6 cylinders,
3. Ferrari 458, exorbitant, 8 cylinders,
4. Gallardo or Huracan, also exorbitant, 10 cylinders,
5. McLaren F1, unattainable, 12 cylinders

Of these, only 1 and 2 are possible buys in India. The Miata doesn't come here (which is so sad), which leaves only the Cayman, which, ultimately, is still too expensive. By the time I'd even have come close to owning a flat 6 Cayman we'd be on BSXVIII emission standards and driving our cars on cow dung juice. Oh well

[kiku007]

Originally Posted by Viju

Am I missing something? Is this it? Did I miss my chance of ever owning my dream car, brand new from the factory?

Sorry buddy you are indeed missing (to notice) something. If you stick to that long list of yours then, you are going to end up disappointed. However, go a bit easy on the requirements and the sky is the limit. Especially if you go via the used car route. You are in Japan for god sake man. The land of JDM!! There are a lot of enthusiasts across the world who could never own what were exclusive to Japan.

At times I wonder if some people just make the list too complicated and difficult to attain just to procrastinate. Be pragmatic and your dream car may after all be attainable. Happy shopping!

The JDM Subaru WRX STI S208 Special Edition for example.



Also what sports/performance cars have you driven/owned to have curated this requirements list?

[4wheels_2Wheels]

Originally Posted by Viju

- Low-lung, sporty, sedan - must be beautiful
- 6 cylinders
- Front engine
- Rear wheel drive
- 300 bhp+
- 450 N-m+
- 4 doors, 5 seats
- 6 speed Manual Transmission
- RHD

So... I have a dream to own some of my childhood dream cars.. obviously I can't own them brand new. So i did the next best thing. Bought used, made some compromises, got friendly with a really really good car mechanic who used to own a garage. Then went about uplifting the interiors to as close to brand new as possible, got a brand new paint job and polish, same with mechanicals, overhauled electricals, added a pop up screen with wireless connectivity (might have been a mistake cause it's the one thing that's most likely to cause problems)
Now I have a car that's not new but in as new as possible condition. It cost a bit more, but it's worth it.
I think that this option is better than letting go of MT.

[starke]

Just came across this post as I search for a similar sports sedan as I move to Japan permanently.

So, Did you find something same or similar ? @Viju