[RunDownHouse]

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Unless you are Ricky Racer, a modern automatic will out perform anyone of you with a manual transmission.

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It's about control and enjoyment, not performance. When you can tell me there's a significant efficiency difference on my 12-mile, mostly highway, 3 days-a-week commute, then I'll listen.

Again, the auto v. manual debate is about a lot of marginal issues, or issues that aren't easily quantifiable. Your transmission is going to depend most on your daily traffic conditions. But that's saying that your transmission in any given car depends mostly on the driving conditions it experiences. If you're going to do a ton of off-road in a given car, it makes sense to get a 4WD. If you're doing a 50-mile commute into a city center for work 10 times a week, it makes sense to look for great gas mileage. If you're looking for something that can burn up the road in very short stretches, it makes sense to get a manual transmission.

Saying "Modern automatic transmissions will outrace most people in a manual" is beside the point. If OP wants a fast car to look good or whatever, then it doesn't matter what transmission he gets. If he wants a fast car to outrun people, then he should either learn to drive a manual such that he can beat an identical auto, he should buy a faster auto than anyone he's racing, or he should find a new hobby. No matter what, it's about specifics: what, specifically, he's looking to get out of the car.