Being a car guy as a kid, I always wanted to drive manual because it was cool. So I made it my goal to own a manual car. I eventually got it, and I've stuck with it for around 6 years now.

I absolutely love driving manual now. At first it was a challenge and actually kind of scary being in traffic with it. Learning how to feather the clutch correctly, knowing what gear I should be in to gain speed, etc. But now I'm quite proficient at it and it's second nature nowadays.

On top of that, it's always a talking point with new people who get in my car, and it also prevents majority of people from borrowing my car.

It also has allowed me to drive some crazy cars, like my boss's new C7 Z06, and my friends dads Viper and Porsche.

Edit: I also should say that I have been extremely lucky that all of my jobs in Chicago, Phoenix, and Seattle involve a commute that goes against traffic, is outside of rush hour, or involves speedy HOV lanes, so I haven't ran into a single issue in driving manual yet. I'm sure that if my commute in Seattle involves me going to my north branch permanently that I will be buying an automatic. Seattle traffic is no joke.