You do need to know how to shift a manual trans though. When you started this thread, I noticed that you asked about "double clutching", which is what you had to know a long time ago when some manual transmissions weren't synchronized. So that shouldn't be a problem. But new drivers will usually get an older package car with a straight shift. Where I am at, the senior drivers get the automatics. We are about 50/50 in the ratio of manual vs. auto. So they are coming folks, eventually everybody will have one. I think the straight shifts are fun to drive, I drive a P5 on my first trip. But I do love my two year old P7, it drives like a Cadillac compared to the older cars.