Originally Posted by Alexus

It's all a matter of preference in this day and age. The automatic will consistently outperform the manual on a day-to-day basis; no one I know can shift up or down faster than the Z's 7-speed automatic. Hell, I don't think Michael Schumacher can do it as smoothly, either.

Don't let anyone talk you into getting one or the other. Get what you want, or you will not be 100% satisfied in the long run. The so-called 'fun-factor' is non-existent for me in a manual transmission car. There's only so much more fun you can get out of rowing through gears. I'd much rather have both hands on the steering wheel and the pedal to the floor.

Oh, and definitely don't listen to those who need to row through gears to justify their manhood; they've already lost. Also, don't listen to those who say that real sports car have sticks. They obviously haven't spoken to F1 racers, Le Mans racers or even the Porsche or BMW auto-x'ers.

Also, I don't understand those that say people should learn to drive in manual transmission cars (or it being required). Matter-of-factly, ten or so years from now - with the evolution of dry-clutch automated manual trannies - manual cars will be a special-order at-cost option, at best. Ford PowerShift in the $15,000 Fiesta is only the beginning. SRM is effectively the beginning of the end for conventional manual transmissions.

The primitive need to row through gears is one that dies in the mid-thirties, believe me. By then, the need for a manual transmission car will be purely economical, not fun-based.