[Porsche-O-Phile]

Interesting.

Closest I've driven was the Boxster S with tiptronic (which I know isn't the same). To be honest I hated it. It detracted from the experience and made it more boring. It was like driving a washing machine instead of a roadster, where your whole body (including left foot and right hand) are engaged in the experience. Also too much (expensive) electronic crap to break/fail - sorry, I HATE electronics in automobiles as a general rule. Every single one of my cars now (including the Mercedes) has an honest-to-goodness manual transmission. Easy, simple, time-tested. I trust them. By comparison, every automatic transmission vehicle I've ever owned in my life (I've owned three) has given me some sort of problem, up to and including requiring replacement of the transmission ($$$). I have to say "less is more" when it comes to gearboxes, although for a "1,000-miles-a-year" car it'd be really cool to have an F1 style paddle-shifter SMG type (and if money were no object, of course).