I wouldn't give you a thank you for a standard transmission in city driving.

Once had to drive a VW bug in downtown Montreal (all hills and mountain) and
almost needed a new left thigh after about 2 hours of stop and go driving.
Having driven rush hour in DC, although flat terrain, I still wouldn't enjoy
driving  standard there.

Come to think of it can't see any practical use for a standard nowdays, of
course I'm 62 so creature comforts are much more important to me.

Mike

Hi,
Real drivers drive with stick. More control.
Today's manual tranny is so GOOD.
Tony

Good luck.  Keep in mind that learning to drive a manual transmission isn't
terribly difficult, it just requires a bit of patience.  It's my belief that
many people's difficulty in learning to drive a clutch could be partly
alleviated if they had a general understanding of the mechanics of the
process.  In general terms, there's a large heavy spinning disk known as the
flywheel which always spins with the engine.  Attached to that disk is the
pressure plate.  This plate, along with the flywheel, have smooth friction
surfaces on them.  There's a disk known as the clutch disk which is
sandwiched between the two.  The pressure plate also has springs in it which
push the two friction surfaces together and keep the clutch disk from
spinning during normal driving.  The clutch disk has a splined hub which is
connected to the transmission input shaft.  When you need to shift, pressing
down on clutch pedal releases the pressure plate's springs such that the
clutch disk is no longer locked and the transmission is now disengaged from
the engine.  This first half of the process usually isn't a problem as long
as you press the pedal all the way down.  Most beginners experience problems
when they attempt to engage the clutch as they let the pedal up.  Keep in
mind that you're releasing the springs of the pressure plate such that it
can now push the clutch disk back into the heavy and rapidly spinning
flywheel and thus re-engage the engine with the transmission.  The smoother
this is done the better the shift will be for you.  This diagram may be
helpful for visualizing the process that I've described above
http://tinyurl.com/4x4hf.  Items 3, 4, and 5 are the flywheel, clutch disk,
and pressure plate respectively.  For another view, also see
http://www.honda.co.uk/owner/CivicManual/pdf/12-3.pdf.

I originally learned to drive in a car with a manual transmission.  All of
the cars that I've owned since have had manual transmissions and I wouldn't
want it any other way.  However, automatics are good for large vehicles such
as trucks and moving vans (I once got stuck with a 20 foot rental moving van
which had a manual transmission making it very annoying to drive).  They're
also good in vehicles used for towing which can put a lot of extra wear and
tear on a clutch.

Either way, whether you buy a car with an automatic or manual, it's still a
good idea to know how to drive a clutch.  There may come a day when the only
vehicle available in an emergency situation is one with a manual
transmission.  I've also heard of cases in which not too bright thieves
attempt to steal a car for their getaway only to discover that it has a
manual transmission and they can't drive it.

Eric