[jcp123]

Very very sad for me as well.

Look at high end cars, too, ever more popular with paddle-shifted ZF 8-speeds or DSG/PDKs.

Even Europeans are starting to change their minds. In the words of my aunt, and Austrian native, automatics are for "disabled and old people". But dual-clutch auto boxes are letting Europeans indulge in a bit of laziness without the stigma.

As for myself, it is more than just the fuel economy benefits. It is more than the actual control of having three pedals and a stick to push around. I really just genuinely love to work the pattern, each shift a moment of victory as I try to make it smoother, or quicker, or better timed than the last.