I prefer manual transmission - makes driving more fun, more thrilling, more edgy - but then I enjoy driving at 150mph and pushing through the curves

I'd say yes. It seems like you are more in tune with a vehicle when driving a standard. Can't really drive and text when driving one.

There's a lot of good reasons to know how to drive a stick, what if you were out with a friend in their car with a standard transmission and they had a health event and you had to drive them to the hospital? Standard transmissions are also better for towing, especially heavy loads.

I miss driving a stick. Until I go to Portland and have to deal with traffic! But yes, we should still be teaching this. My dad insisted my first car be a stick and I'm glad he did.

my 1st few cars had manual trans. i would never want to go back to manual. i like the way our little elantra shifts thru 6 gears seamlessly. even my old caravan 4 speed is a huge improvement over having to churn thru the gears manually. especially in stop & go traffic.

Yes it's useful in a pinch - and with things like yard or farm equipment. You never know when such a skill might come in handy.

Yep good skill

Yes, and wish I had … though didn’t want them burning up my clutch in the process.. I don’t know when or if manual transmissions will no longer be available, but as long as they’re around, I want one

They are great. All 3 of my kids own one. And, sadly, they are disappearing. Can't race an automatic very well.
Sidenote: my son just bought a used, certified Kia, full warranty, etc for 4k less than book value. Their reason for the lower price - on the lot too long because it was a manual. Some of their salespeople couldn't drive it.

Manual cars are the norm here in the U.K. and most parts of Europe. I learned to drive in one, although I now drive an automatic and wouldn’t go back to driving a car with a manual gearbox. The problem is, if you learn to drive and sit your test in an automatic, you are not allowed to drive a manual vehicle afterwards, so it’s always best to learn and pass the driving test in a manual car.