All of my previous cars had been manual (28 years of manual) before I got my M235 two years ago. As many have already said, the ZF 8 speed is a great transmission and I really like it and don't really miss the manual all that much. Although, given the choice, I would have opted for the 6 speed if it was offered in the xdrive. I would say since you are going with RWD, I would try and find one with a 6MT if that is really what you want.
