Before this turns into another DCT vs. 6MT thread, I'm going to attempt the (possibly impossible) task of summarizing the main points that have surfaced out of the countless times this discussion has been had in one form or other.
The main appeal of DCT seems to be (in no particular order):
- DCT is drivable by people who can't drive stick, which can help with wife acceptance factor, for example.
- DCT shifts faster, more precisely, and more consistently than any human ever could, which means more people can go faster with less effort in a car so equipped. If you're the type who likes to get in a car and have it go as fast as it can in your hands, then the fact that DCT lets you flick a paddle to always pull off a fast and perfectly executed shift might make DCT the choice for you.
- DCT has no risk of grinding gears, money shifts, burning out the clutch, etc.
- DCT is a remarkable piece of engineering. Some people just enjoy having a piece of interesting cutting edge technology.
- DCT has Launch Control.
- DCT is more livable in bumper-to-bumper traffic when there isn't really an opportunity for driving enjoyment.
The main appeal of 6MT seems to be (in no particular order):
- It saves you $2900 on a new purchase.
- People who can't drive stick can't drive it, which gives some owners peace of mind since it keeps their cars out of the hands of others who might otherwise ask.
- It requires more effort to operate and more practice to master, which some enjoy for the challenge. If you're the type of person who enjoys being more involved in the drive and finds it rewarding to work at something and reap the benefits of your efforts in the form of getting more out of the car as you keep practicing rather than having a computer just do it perfectly for you, then 6MT might be for you.
- 6MT is easier and cheaper to repair. DCT was originally sold as a sealed unit and was only replaced, never repaired, though I'm hearing there have been some field repairs now. Either way, out-of-warranty costs for DCT could be quite high especially if the only option is complete replacement.
- 6MT is based on tried and true technology, which means reliability is fairly certain, whereas DCT is still new so its long-term reliability is still an unknown quantity. 6MT also doesn't have to deal with being controlled by a computer, which is another point of failure and which caused DCT to have some lag issues early on before a software fix was released.
- 6MT may not be around much longer, so some people want to get it while they can.
Lastly, as a GENERAL statement (read: not universal) from reading various threads here it seems that the vast majority of the 6MT crowd chose 6MT because they were passionate about it, whereas the DCT crowd has a decent representation of people who went DCT for reasons like "Eh, it was on the lot / easier to drive / more practical / drivable by others", etc. I've seen very few 6MT people say they picked it because "Eh, it was cheaper / in stock / easier to repair".