Manual: more for the enthusiast drivers, more control over a car, better for playing around a circuit track and longer life before a rebuild is needed if ever, better mpgs
automatic: can include cvt, easier for the driver, no clutching headache, better for daily driven cars and its a better choice in the drag strip, but common failure and rebuilding required.
SMG: kinda take the two types of Trans listed above and mix into one, great for an enthusiast who deals greatly with traffic jams or daily drives all seasons More reliable that a full automatic but not built proof like a manual

 

It would appear that the rare car today has the Manual Transmission, I say it is a Girls Car . But then I grew up on a manual shift vehicle, 3 on the tree they called it. Then I got the 4spd or 4 on the floor. My cousin told me I was shifting bad, I thought I was doing fine cause I never was grinding it.
Then we started to Race and he taught me to Speed Shift.
Give me the manual and let me run against the new Automatics once and see how it turns out?
If you watched the Movie Gone in 60 seconds, that was the kind of speed shifting I did when (Nick Cage) took Eleanor up the Bridge and got what is called scratch in every gear. My two best cars were a 1969 Chevelle SS and a 1970 1/2, 2nd Gen Camaro Z-28.
Back 10 years ago my son was still in High School and one of his friends had a Honda 4 door with a Manual Trans. they asked me to check it out. His buddy was in the back seat when I drove and was worried the ran up the Tach. to far before I shifted, I told how you could run to the Redline and then shift the thing if you want. I didn't get close cause we were in town.
If you are just Crusin the City Lights Automatics are good you don't have to clutch it so much. What ever you do don't ride the clutch!!

 

In the past most all of my vehicles were stick shift...
Despite my love of being in total control...Like a stick shifted vehicle...
I for obvious reasons can no longer drive one... (I have no knee)

So I'm stuck driving an automatic..

 

I've only ever driven automatics, drove stick long enough to get the feel and that was it. I desperately want to get something stick shift, i'd say automatic for daily use and a stick for a weekend/fun car.

 

I would like a manual...but automatics win races

 

Dart is pretty good, have plain auto and then manual shifting mode.

 

I voted for the automatic because I'm getting older and my knees don't bend like they use to, but my favorite car is my 84 Fiero with a 4:10 four speed. I don't seem to ache as much in that car, although traffic jams hurt.

 

I voted manual, but it was a tough choice cause it depends on the situation.

For an all out fun car, driven only for fun and go fast pleasure, I prefer a stick.

But I won't turn down a fun automatic either, I have a lot of respect for some of the newer automatics, they have just as many, if not more gears and can shift faster than any human.

My Corvette is an Automatic...6 speed...would I have preferred a stick, yeah. Do I mind the auto, nope, I love my Corvette in every way shape and form. People throw jokes around about it being an automatic and that just cracks me up, because it's usually people that are driving their automatic Camry or something of the sort, so they can shut up as far as I'm concerned.

As for the Monte/ my Daily driver, I want an automatic. I commute 120+ miles per day, plus drive to client sites and other offices. I deal with lots of driving and lots of traffic, I want nothing to do with a stick shift for this type of daily stuff...love my automatic Monte for that.