[Otter74]

I bought a 2013 JSW TDI in March to replace my 2004 Accord. It was a CPO car I got from a dealer in Milwaukee, which had tons of them. 36k miles, spent its life in Santa Barbara (so no corrosion), terrific condition, manual/sunroof, $15k. It's a fantastic car and I wonder why I didn't buy it years ago. I get 38mpg in freeway-heavy mixed driving around town, which is about all I've done. It doesn't feel like a GTI, but it feels like a German car, tight and buttoned down, and is a pleasure to drive anywhere, just the right combination of small enough on the outside and big enough on the inside. I can fit any of my bikes inside by just sliding them in. It's not as huge inside as my '85 Saab 900, but what is? Mine has pushbutton start and I'd prefer a key, but it was the best example of the many I looked at.

I'd also have been happy with a current-generation Golf wagon, which apparently also gets pretty excellent mileage, but you can't get a Golf with a sunroof and a manual (you have to get an Alltrak for that), and I saw no reason to spend $20-25k when I could get everything I wanted for $15k tops. I was heavily influenced by a good friend who said his JSW TDI was the best car he'd ever owned - he sold it back to VW because he couldn't say no to what they were offering.

My girlfriend hates it (wagons are grandpa cars) and tried to replace it with a Macan (now she tolerates it, maybe because she enjoys my 911 in small doses), but I could drive this car for a decade. There are other wagon options in your budget but I think this is the best overall.