Yeah, me too. I was first attracted to BMW's instead of M-B's because of the wider availability of manuals in BMW's. My manual-transmission 535i was one of the last ones built. But, turbocharging has diminished the manual-transmission experience.

Fuel economy and emissions are big deals now. The reality is that those are improved with an automatic transmission. I've done a lot of track time with DCT's and with manuals. I'm faster with a DCT. I'm probably also less likely to tear up an engine.

My next economy car will be a Chevy Cruze or a Chevy Sonic. The Sonic is still available with a manual. But, it's smaller than a Cruze, and the manual powertrain actually has higher fuel consumption.

Manuals are going to be relegated to economy cars. My naturally aspirated 2007 Chevy Cobalt is more fun when snicking through the gears than my 535i.