In the area I live in I favor an Automatic at this time only because 98% of my driving is city driving and much of it stop and go. In stop and go traffice I sometime find myself lugging the Engine or slipping the clutch because of the traffic situation.
The other reason is my Wife cannot use a Manual Transmission. While I managed to do the daunting task of teaching her how to drive a car to the point were she passed here on the road driving test the 1st time. I do not think I could handle the stress of training here to use a Stick Shift; nor do I want to ruin my clutch or transmissin in the process.
So for the practicality of the above I now favor an Automatic.

That being said I am most often driving my Volvo (the Mercedes is the Wife's car) which has a Manual Transmission with an Overdrive. It is at its best on the Freeway in Overdrive.
If I knew I was going somewhere where there was a good chance of long periods of stop and go traffic I would make sure I took the Mercedes.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel