However, the interactive nature of a manual transmission can produce additional stress for a car's or truck's gear-shifting ...

Car maintenance can be as difficult as it is messy. This is primarily because there are just so many fluids involved. Fluids of the darkest, stickiest, most potentially dangerous sort, in many cases.

In our tests, we've found that in some cars a manual transmission can improve gas mileage by a significant 2 to 5 mpg, compared with an automatic, and can cut a car's price by $800 to $1,200.