As someone who just owned a manual Mini Cooper for about 18 years, I recommend that. The manual combined with the way the Mini is designed, with the wheels push

As someone who just owned a manual Mini Cooper for about 18 years, I recommend that. The manual combined with the way the Mini is designed, with the wheels pushed way out to the corners, firm suspension and incredibly responsive steering, is a real joy. It's a feeling of complete control of the car and constant awareness of exactly where all four corners of the car are. So easy to parallel park these older Minis, too, before they kept making them larger and larger. Hard to find this in any current cars, especially affordable ones.