I am one of them but looking for the facelifted 6 speeder manual

The only problem for prospective owners to worry is the SMT gearbox & sourcing of body parts (in case of accident). Getting the manual will make you less headache but it is also much harder to find. The engine is 1ZZ-FED, pretty much the same as the old Altis 1.8L engine; therefore maintenance wise should not be big worry.

honestly both have their fans.

We had a long time MR2 (SW20) friend who didn't move on to MR-S (ZZW30) but to the RX8. I can understand why.
One have to go back to the history of the SW20 an those owners who are smitten by it. It a long story best told when we were have TT sessions sometimes

if I'm not mistaken the MRS would be the older of the trio you listed, in terms of years in malaysia. most are 2000-2002
a couple are 2003 onwards/ a high majority after 2003 are SMT. (because most buyers are rather likely to buy auto or auto like in urban areas, well at least the used cars sellers feel comfortable selling.

couple of us swapped to 2zz & 6 speed gb. once a while they do find its way as salvage clip.

I might suggest you get a change to read up some auto mags reviews. at least to help understand the kind of ownership you see yourself.

rotijon you have read the write up of my ride. i admit it may not be everyones type of cars hence i would advice to do a carefully research. The carlist link on the mrs is smt and it's also very few to have the VM180 kit. (It's NOT a 2008 mrs btw) Perhaps they changed the color? Back then the only vm180 kit mrs I know in Malaysia were white & silver. The white was sold to a lady n she turned it into rose gold (hahah) pinklah. Yes both were smt. I never met the JB owner who had the silver one.

I was smitten when i drove a mid engine (AW11). that time my only other opportunity to drive a "seemingly nice fast car" was a VW golf turbo (cabriolet) & a volvo (turbo). that was way back in 1989.

years after i managed to drive other platforms & ever tried out super/hyper cars. I can't afford super cars, well maybe if i saved all my money from then, maybe i can indulge in a old porsche. (old) but i probably will find it hard to maintain.

It depends on what you or one is after. I like to drive. I like how the mR (mid engine offers), FR is similar but weight distribution is different.

I think there is a youtube about MR vs FR (by tiff needle & a rally champ) and how each have their own pros & cons.

For now used parts (panels/doors) are reasonably stocked smongst the known source.
I only know of 3-4 manual 6speed mrs (not swapped or post added on) in Malaysia. Rest I reckon are smt

Changing mrs 5 speed to mrs 6 speed gearbox isn't difficult. Straight install. Converting to 2zz needs a bit of know how but also not exhaustly difficult (unless those fella/shop don't know, in which happened a couple of cases)

SMT (sequential manual transmission)
they aren't auto but "assisted", basically SMT are without clutch pedal.

SMT doesn't have "D" mode (drive), whereas auto does. leave it in D mode, it AUTO changes gears, as you drive higher speed. SMT needs driver input to upshift/downshifts
usually these used car places list them as B (both) because most people/potential buyers don't know the meaning of SMT