Agreed, today's auto transmission is the heavier duty choice for the working truck. Most fleets don't even consider manual transmissions because of the increased maintenance, anymore you pay extra for a manual and pay more in the long haul. I'd buy a manual for a sports car but other than that the manual transmission just doesn't have a place in the automotive world (even in the heavy truck world)
I do however think that it should be a requirement to learn to drive with a manual and have to "graduate" to an automatic after a few years. Driving a manual really keeps your focus on driving and i think with all the technology these days the kids learning to drive would be less of a hazard on the road. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/lol.gif" alt="" />