I guess people with a macho-techno-masochistic-elitist bent might buy into this article. Not me. Even if the reasons have merit, they are not strong enough to make me have any doubts about the joys of driving a vehicle with automatic transmission.
You Can Maximize a Car’s Performance: Automatics may be the better choice for MPG these days, but what makes them fuel-efficient makes them boring. ...
It Makes You Pay Attention: Playing with your cell phone, reading from a tablet, eating a burrito– these are all things that people actually do behind the wheel when driving. ...
You Can Be More Effective in Braking/Turning: If you go to downshift in a manual, there is tendency to jerk forward as you lose momentum. ...
Your Friends Can’t Borrow Your Car: Have you ever had to loan [sic] your car to a friend? ... If your car has a manual transmission, there is a good chance most of your friends will not be able to drive it. [EE: the proper verb is "lend"; the word "loan" is a noun.]
It Puts You In a Select Club: So many of your friends and family can’t drive stick. Like calligraphy or knowing French, it is a skill that sets you apart from the rest. ...
Build In Theft Prevention: Just like your group of friends, not everyone can drive stick. That includes criminals. ...
Fuel Economy: An 8-speed automatic gearbox has those extra gears so it can achieve better fuel economy, but the manual EPA ratings are an average as a result of standardized testing. If you know to shift early, you can actually get better than the advertised fuel economy. [EE: but of course this contradicts the first alleged benefit]
It Shows You Care: ... Any car is instantly more fun with a manual transmission, and the fact that you want more fun out of your car lets the rest of us know that you give a damn.
I learned to drive in a car with a manual transmission. And again I had a car with a manual transmission for three years when I was in grad school. I think they're a pain in the butt. And I am truly amazed that people would use the above items to tip the scales in favour of a manual.
That having been said, there are two points above that make some sense. If a car with a manual transmission is less likely to be borrowed and less likely to be stolen, that's probably a plus.