I almost had to bribe the BMW dealer to sell me a manual.  He kept telling me I didn't fit the profile.  That made me a little angry.  What profile?  Mothers' lose the use of their left legs. Because I'm a mom and I want to actually drive the car.  It's supposed to be the ultimate driving machine after all. And it is.  I love my sporty wagon.  So much apparently I drive like a teenage boy and should dial it back sometimes.  My kids still beg for me to put the windows down and they love getting on the freeway.  They think we are taking off.  Seriously though, no laws were broken in giving them and I a little kick to our daily grind.  Manuals are underrated.  It's a nice way to bring back a little joy to the things we have to do.

On the practical side, it gets pretty good gas mileage, I can control more of my brake pad usage, the service is included in the purchase for the first few years, when I don't have the kids I still feel like it 's my car and it hasn't broken down...knock on wood.