Yeah, tell me about it. For my 2001 CR-V, the choices came down to stick and cloth seats versus automatic and leather seats. I did want leather, but not that much. I chose stick shift with the cloth seats.
6-speed 2003 330i. I could go into myriad reasons, but the real answer is: nobody ever asks to borrow my car. Or rather, the only people qualified to drive my car are also the only ones I’d ever let drive it.
For better or worse, my next car (still several years away) will probably be electric, and a transmission of any kind, let alone a manual, doesn’t make much sense there.
Slushboxes make me feel like I have to ask the car nicely to do anything, but that it might ignore me if it’s not feeling up to it.
So, There are a large number of manual transmission drivers on this site. Thats cool.
Like other have noted, they hardly make them anymore in the US. I didn’t think many used them.
Some random thoughts…
In general, for smaller cars I prefer manual trans. For larger cars, especially if they’re on the luxurious side, I would prefer automatic.
My next car will likely be a Jeep Grand Cherokee to replace my 205K mile Honda CR-V. That Jeep will likely have an auto trans. Even if it came with a stick I’d probably choose auto.
I also agree with the folks who deal with extensive stop-and-go traffic wanting automatics. If that were me, I’d probably be with them.
I dream of buying a brand-new Porsche 911, that’s my dream car. I understand their manu-matic transmission, called PDK, is excellent and shifts faster than the manual. I’d seriously consider the PDK tranny if I bought a new 911. Almost the best of both worlds, and I can put it in full-auto if I was in stop-and-go.
Drive on! So many roads, so little time…
e7t
my first car was an auto and it was not fun to drive at all. my second and current car is a 5-speed 01 Forester and I like it. Really the only problem is the lack of smoothness sometimes but I don’t mind that.
If someone’s riding my clutch, it doesn’t even get heated - I’ll mention it once or twice. After that, I’m driving and they’re riding… or walking!
I wanted to add to my post #104 that my 2001 Honda CR-V, which I bought new and now has 205,000 miles on it - it’s still on the original clutch. I’m proud of that, yes. 
How’s that for smooth shifting? And no, that’s not all highway miles. That includes in and around San Francisco’s hills. And, I taught my 3 kids how to drive an MT in that car, and two neices also.
ETA: I’m going to drive that clutch till it’s gone, then hang the clutch plate on my garage wall when it’s replaced.
Plus with later-model cars, US regulations require things like computer-run traction control and ABS to help minimize the chances of being in that position.
(BTW, now that it has been mentioned, could it be feasible to design an “unrideable” clutch? One that if you’re “riding” it goes to a failsafe on or off configuration so you gotta learn to stop doing that?)
A couple of times I have found myself in a rental car with one of those auto/manual selectable transmissions – including recently one with the paddles. Was interesting to try and experiment with it, most of them seem to have an auto override that will downshift for you if you forget when slowing to a stop so you only have to do manual upshift. BTW found it a bit odd on the rental co’s part to issue these to the general public without some sort of warning to watch out if you bump the lever past the regular “D” – in Florida I can imagine many domestic American tourists who will never have run into one of those. And for your average intermediate American car it’s like, what’s the use. Have also gotten rentals with the continuous variable auto transmission, didn’t really notice much difference from a modern many-geared automatic.
Then again what do I know, the “driving experience” means little or nothing to me. But I will not deny the stickshift fans the pleasure of their Superior Dance 
I’ve been trying to buy a manual transmission car and they are fairly hard to find. My oldest son is about ready to learn to drive, and I want him to learn on a stick shift. If you learn on a manual it’s easy to switch to an automatic, but not vice versa.
I just want a used, but late model, low mileage, dependable, good gas mileage, fairly heap sedan. Is that too much to ask?
I learned on automatics, and the first two cars I had (a 1985 Chevette and a 1991 Cavalier) were autos. I learned to drive stick when I was in my early 20s, and I haven’t looked back. My current car is a 2004 Mazda 3, and I have no desire to go back to manual. The reason for me is simple: it’s just more fun to drive. People ask me all the time, well don’t you hate it in city traffic? No, I don’t. It gives me something to do. I’ve literally never been in traffic wishing I had an automatic.
Now, I’m not under the impression that I could out shift or outperform an automatic. There are times where a manual is useful and direct control of your gears is an advantage, but 99% of the time, the automatic is going to outperform me. I don’t care. I just drive them because they are fun.
There are a very few times when I wished I had an automatic – mostly when I’m on a very long drive (12 hours plus) and sometime late in the drive I get stuck in a big city rush hour.
The downside to having a stick is that few people can drive it. This actually is a serious minus if I want to go out, have a few drinks, and have my wife drive me back home. That said, there was one time I, um, had been over-served and my wife offered to drive. It was around 2 a.m., with little traffic on the streets, and she had never driven a stick before. Impressively, she was able to drive the car back home, only stalling it two or three times, and there were numerous lights along the way. I talked her through the technique, but I was amazed at how easily she picked up the basics. Now, the Mazda has a pretty forgiving clutch that allows a good deal of slip, but I doubt I would have done half as well my first time on that car.
Today I drove my 1997 Jeep w/ 5-speed manual to work.
6 speed 2003 Ford Focus SVT. Basically a souped up Focus. Love this car, and it is likely my last manual. By the time I get rid of her I expect CVTs to be common, and as fun as manual is, that would be the only reason to get one as a CVT will beat it in every objective measure.
I actually learned to drive stick during a test drive. I was in college and decided to get a manual. Not knowing anyone else with a standard transmission, I just went to the used car lot. Thankfully no one went with me on the test drive. Ended up buying the car.
Really? Do you have a cite for that? I thought ABS and TC were optional, not required.
I drove manual until my left knee began to bother me. Automatic is much easier on it now, though I still drive a borrowed manual on occasion.
Manual by choice.
This is interesting. Mrs. Tango and I have a long-running debate, which is better? Is it better to learn to drive on an automatic first, and after learning to drive then you learn how to work a stick shift? Or is it easier to learn how to drive on a stick shift car?
What do people think?
e7t
what does he want?
I don’t honestly think manual vs. automatic makes that much difference. When I was learning to drive (on a manual, like just about everybody else here) the bit about learning to operate the clutch and gearbox was really a small part of the overall learning experience. It was more about how to drive in traffic, what to do at at junctions and roundabouts, signalling and awareness, etc. The gear-changing part became second nature very quickly. The only slightly tricky clutch-related part was mastering the hill start, and even that is not really amazingly difficult.
As to the OP, I prefer a manual but I don’t really think it’s because it makes me more in touch with the car or anything like that. I prefer it simply because I’m used to it. Admittedly, when I do drive an automatic it feels “wrong” - the lack of engine braking, the slight feeling that the car is running away with itself, the delayed response you get through a slush box. But I’m sure I’d get used to it.
It has a serious plus tho-many would-be car thieves can’t drive stick. The pros presumably can, but most crooks aren’t pros.
Oh, and 2006 Honda Civic SI driver here-best and most fun car I have ever had the pleasure of driving-I must waste tons of gas each week any time my wanderlust asserts itself and I feel the urge to get out on the road.