2008 Toyota Corolla Ascent. NZE120 chassis. 1.8L 1ZZ-FE. 5-speed manual. 189,000 km. One owner. Logbooks. $3,200.

His sister got in, soaked. “This piece of junk made it?”

It was 2:00 AM, and Leo’s thumb hurt. He had been scrolling through used car listings for three weeks, trapped in the digital wasteland of flooded automatics and overpriced “enthusiast” cars. His budget was a laughable $3,500. His requirement was non-negotiable: a manual transmission.