The dual clutch auto-manuals have real potential imo. Get a great one in a nice looking sports car and it's like having a quiet, bi-sexual, hotty girlfriend...nobody needs to know and you get to enjoy it!!:)

My wifes Smart ForFour car has an Automated Manual Transmission and its great(until it goes wrong then i will probably change my mind).6 speed convential gearbox with automatic gear selection and automatically servo controlled clutch (ie no torque converter). Manual gear hold/selection is available too. The car is allegedly quicker and more economical than the manual 5 speed version, (which is cheaper thereby offseting the fuel saving).

I took a 2006 Miata with auto trans. for a test drive yesterday. The car actually came from Tucson Arizona originally and was imported into Canada in 2013. It shows approximately 50k miles or 80k kms now. The speedo is in mph with the smaller subset in kph. The Carproof shows that it went through an auction in Arizona which puts me in alert mode . That concerns me a bit as to why ?Feel free to comment. The ad is in Edmonton Kijiji 2006 Mazda Miata(for sale by Sherwood Dodge).

Actually reading about the 2006 auto trans. in a car mag write up it says that the auto is fractionally faster to 60mph than the manual. This car seems peppy enough.

I checked with the Pres. of Wild Rose Miata and he says a member has a '99 Miata for sale with manual trans. So I will likely check it out this weekend. It is a good time of the year to shop for a Miata as the snow is coming soon and many of them just have summer tires and sellers are motivated....

My Boxster is a 5 speed and my S4 a 6 speed. My wife has a 2012 Audi A4 with an 8 speed auto and while it's a nice car I still get that "hunting for the right gear" feel, hesitation when slowing down, turning on to a side street, etc. I don't see me getting into an automatic any time soon. I'm going to be 60 tomorrow.

The base A4 you are comparing manuals to is an Auto "old style" box... The modern dual clutch boxes are another thing entirely, fast, crisp, zero "hunting"... You mention your S4, the dual clutch S4 is fun: I wanted mine manual but ended up with a DSG... after comparing notes and exchanging cars with a friend (also 2011 manual), I shockingly liked mine better - the car "farts" on shifts like a rally car and the take off was incredible compared to the manual... And it wasn't really a sports car, so I was cool with it... That said you did well, long term, because the Audi DSG is a notoriously unreliable piece of junk and costs a fortune to repair out of warranty! I love manuals, it's a dying art that will soon be a theft deterrent as well - but on a modern "cruiser" you may want to try the PDK/DSG boxes, you might be pleasantly surprised ;-)

I'm in my mid 50's and have zero complaints with my '03 996 and manual 6 speed. I've been driving stick so long the process of clutching, shifting, and being in the right gear happens subconsciously. There have been a couple times where I was tired and slogging through heavy traffic in LA where I was not happy. That said I'm splitting time in a 2000 Ford Explorer and do appreciate the auto transmission on commutes home from work. Driving a manual Explorer would suck IMO. My wife has a 2011 G-37 and the auto transmission is not that great - hunts and pecks unless put in sport mode. I have not driven any of the modern dual clutch setups that Deschodt speaks of. So for a fun/sporty car I'm sticking with manual. Anything else I'm good with automatic.