Manual transmission? Really? Last year I finally got rid of a car with manual transmission that I had for eight years. Eight LONG years of manual transmission shifting. Start. Shift up gears 1 through 5, go, shift back down 5-1, stop. Start, shift 1-2-3, traffic, slow, shift 3-2-1, stop. Shift, go, shift, stop, shift, shift, shift. It sucks. On the highway at 80 mph, it's okay. In city traffic, it's a nightmare. Do not get a manual transmission. My recommendation instead is to get the Honda CR-V AWD EXL (but do not get the Honda Navigation package - save the money, 'cuz Honda's Nav system sux - just use your smart phone.) CR-V costs like $4K more than a civic, but it's a much better option, especially for a couple. It has 70 cu. ft. of cargo space, leather seats, Econ button for better gas mileage, and better point-of-view perspective than a tiny civic because you are much higher off the ground. Also it's bigger and safer and has front and side airbags. If you want to go racing around the streets, you should get the Toyota GT 86, or w/e it's called. But why do that? You will either get traffic tickets or into an accident. Get the civilized CR-V, put on the A/C, turn up the USB ipod tunes, engage the cruise control, and ride around in comfort and sophistication.
