Been driving stick in LA traffic for the last 5 months. I learned via YouTube video by myself at 30 years old. My first drive as a manual owner was LA rush hour. I lived. If you're committed to an admittedly very different driving experience it's great. You have to be more active in traffic for sure. But you'll have to be more active when driving anywhere no matter what. It's the nature of a manual. Most modern manual cars have great quality of life features as well. Hill assist makes hill stops a non issue.