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While they are at it, bring back the old-school, analog dashboards that aren't fill with electronic crap you don't need (with the exception of the rear view camera -- that's useful). The best part about those dashes is you can operate them without looking at them. Also hand crank windows.
Mazda MX5/Miata, the gold standard IMO.
> Rachel Cosker, 24, is questioning her commitment to the stick. As one of the few people at her high school who drove a manual, she says she leaned into the persona of “girl with the cool BMW stick-shift car.” That was before her leg grew sore from the clutch as she navigated traffic commuting back and forth from law school every day in Tampa, Fla.

There is a stop-and-go technique to driving a manual in heavy traffic that could arguably been seen as less leg work than with an automatic transmission. It does mean that you have to be more relaxed and accept that people will cut in front of you, but it works. It mostly involves keeping the car in a lower gear than you normally would and using engine braking instead of the actual brakes.

It also diminishes extant brake waves in traffic flow, which increases the capacity of the roadway behind you. Simplest way to gamify it is, “how long can you go without having to use your brakes?”. Five minutes is my usual best time in local traffic.

My sports car’s OEM clutch is incredibly soft and it’s a pleasure to drive in traffic because it can feather without causing leg pain. Some cars have more sporty clutches that bite harder and have more force due to lightened flywheels. Not appropriate for street traffic use, even if they function in it.

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.
That still the norm in France. Most people drive shift because that what’s around.

As a non-car person I could not care less and I find it kinda annoying. More work to do in traffic. Manœuvring on a slope can be tricking ( or dangerous if you are me )

I do understand the fun, but I, for one; welcome our automatic gear box overlord.

As far as starting the car on a steep slope, simultaneously gradually take your left foot off the clutch and gas it while also lowering the hand brake (yes, you have do three things at once). After a few times you get the hang of it. All manual transmission car drivers have to learn this trick sooner or later :-)
Yeah I learned to drive there, that’s part of the driver test. I still don’t like it :)

But I dislike driving in general.

I'm a "car person"—grew up watching Top Gear, etc. When I bought my first car, I bought a Scion XB with a stick shift, particularly because I was buying it (used) at around the same time the Tesla Roadster and very early Model S were hitting the roads. I realized that electrification was imminent, and that it was increasingly likely that my next cars wouldn't even have a gearbox (in the user perceivable gear-shifting sense).

And, boy, I was right: my lineage of vehicles was Scion XB -> Tesla Model 3 (first production) -> Tesla Model S Plaid.

I was so right to get a stick shift when I did. I recently rented a car in Argentina while traveling with a friend, and it was so much fun to go back to stick for a week.

After 20+ years of driving stick, I had to switch to slushbox because of the spouse. Fair enough, the thing didn't cost extra, has gone 200,000km+ without a lick of trouble and the fuel economy is good and the "vroom vroom" appeal fades with youth.

But now the slushboxes have turned into CVTs. Belt drive! Maybe they've finally solved that problem, turned them into bomb-proof long-term reliable transmissions. Maybe they haven't. What to do? Spouse is actually kind of, sort of interested in learning to drive manual, but what's the point? Our longer term future, like everyone else's, is likely PHEV or full electric.

https://archive.is/OCzuS
As a 60-something, I'd be happy to drive a stick again. However, when we got our most recent car, in early 2013, we discovered that there aren't a lot of station wagons with manual transmissions. As I recall, one had to step up to an Audi, or perhaps even BMW.
It becomes hard to justify a manual in that segment. The price difference is negligible. Not much to gain from maintenance, might actually cost more to maintain a manual if misused. A good DSG transmission is smoother, sportier, more efficient, and lets you switch gears manually.
For a new car with a warranty, that makes sense. For the anywho who works on their own car, automatics are an incredible pain.

Most failure modes are catastrophic and require a full rebuild as all components are integrated. Coolant lines that run into the engine bay are a hazard when doing common work like replacing radiators. They’re typically heavier.

High wear components in manuals like clutches, pilot bearings and master/slave cylinders are straightforward to replace.

Clutchless shifting with a DSG or tiptronic is a far cry from meshing synchros. Smoother, yes, but sportier is up to the eye of the beholder here.

This is all true, but it still doesn't feel nearly as good as manual shifting to me.
Someone should bring back the original model t planetary gear transmission with the three pedals and the clutch on a stick. Retro seems cool now...