I can...
learned when I was 21 or so back in the Fall of 2003. I think it boils down to driver preference. I enjoy manual, however, in my opinion, it isn't practical for the congested areas in DC with the traffic and all the starting and stopping. But there are those that don't mind. I certainly wouldn't call it a "lost art". My first BMW, an '04 e46 325xi was a manual. Enjoyed it very much, but then I got an M and my world changed