[Otter74]

What's your budget? Mileage requirements?

The first-generation Acura TSX is excellent, reliable, fun, and not unreasonably hard to find with a manual. It is pretty hard to find one with under 100k and a manual, though, as everyone who owns ones seems to drive it a lot.

For the last year and a half I have been at the same time trying to think of something to replace my appliance car (low-mileage 2003 Accord, I4/5AT) with that has a manual transmission and a liftgate, and stopping myself from replacing it with a higher-mileage German car (for reasons, see your experience with VAG vehicles)

TSX is a perennial short-lister even though the wagon body was never available in the US. Made when Honda still made some nice-driving cars.