As for me, I prefer an Automatic. There are always pro’s and con’s with an Auto, but the same goes for with a Manual. So it really depends on your preference. I do get annoyed with my Auto, especially at Stop and Go, it takes a while for the car to take off as it starts on the lowest speed. The same also goes with changing lanes, it feels like I’m taking a lot of effort just to speed up. But what I’m really thankful for in my Auto is my weekly drive to my folks home from work (Peak Hour traffic), I sometimes get stuck in traffic for half an hour and only able to move a few inches every few minutes. It’s a killer, I’m glad that I don’t have to worry about changing gears.
I can only imagine being stuck on a hill if I had a Manual and only able to move a few inches in traffic. I’m worst in a Manual especially on a hill, I can just imagine myself going backwards instead of forwards on that road, and probably causing an accident. Yeah I know that a Manual takes less fuel, you can use gears to slow you down instead of braking, can probably burn a few calories by the forward and backwards motion of changing gears and the pedals, faster in general (for draging purposes especially), but I wouldn’t change my Auto to a Manual ever. I’ll always buy an Auto whenever I think about changing my car.