Most of this is personal preference. Personally I go to whatever lengths necessary to seek out a manual transmission Benz. But that's just my personal preference.

I agree with YAL. MB manuals are bullet proof. The practical side of things. I have driven about 800,000 miles in MB manual transmission cars and have NEVER had one of the transmissions apart. I have put in a few clutches and changed the lubricant in the transmissions, but have never so much as replaced a seal in one.

My wife prefers an automatic, and I have paid an enormous repair bill on her station wagon some years ago.

Keep in mind that my practical comments are just that, the practical side of it. But my personal preference is very strong and biased. Driving a Benz or any other car with an automatic takes 90% of the joy of driving away. As I said at the beginning, I go to any length to have a manual transmission Benz. These are EXTREMELY rare in the US. If I lived in Europe I would be in heaven because of how easy it is to find a manual transmission car.

When in Europe last year, I left drool on all the MB's that I saw with manuals.

Good luck,