I'll certainly agree that the modern auto transmissions are head and shoulders above the "slushboxes" of the old days. In 2009 I went from a Tacoma with a 5 speed manual to a 4runner with the A340 auto and the difference was pretty stark - both vehicles had the exact same engine (the 3.4 V6) but the 4runner was a slug compared to the Tacoma and MPG was horrible (I was lucky to get 15mpg in the 4runner while the Tacoma could get nearly 20 in the city and 22 - 24 on the highway pretty easily. When you only have an 18.5 gallon tank that's a big difference.)
However I don't agree that the only reason to prefer a manual is out of nostalgia. To me, at least, the manual offers two huge advantages over an auto:
First of all, a manual transmission will almost never fail without giving some significant warning that it is in trouble (clutch slipping, gears grinding, etc.)
By contrast, a modern auto can literally fail in seconds with ZERO warning. Ask me how I know that.
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The second reason is that modern automatic transmissions are crazy expensive to replace. A manual transmission rarely needs to be replaced since they can usually be repaired (and normally the clutch is the failure point anyway.)
I understand that manuals are going the way of the dodo in North America but I would still argue that the manual has some significant advantages even over the modern crop of multi-speed autos. In parts of the world where high-tech auto repair shops are few and far between I think manuals will still be the norm. Eventually electric vehicles will replace them but until then manuals will be what most people use.
