It shouldn't be a surprise ... the last number of years I've (I'm northern Australia) seen people purchase the automatic cars with little thought. I know that

It shouldn't be a surprise ... the last number of years I've (I'm northern Australia) seen people purchase the automatic cars with little thought. I know that the internals are more often more pricey than a decent second hand car to replace not if, but when they die, be it the internal plates or control boxes with more and more electronics. There's a few people I have brought this up when they're thinking of getting a better car ... and again when it finally it breaks and they're shocked how much it will cost. Manual clutches still haven't got too silly or expensive to replace and many car brands would still be in the realm of DIY. For a young person a weeks wage for a new clutch isn't so bad as paying anywhere from 3000 to 10000 aud for parts to make the automatic box go again.