[aesir]

Wow....talk about possibly waging a war...

It's not difficult to "row" through traffic. When I'm casually driving around town I don't even realize I'm shifting. It's just a natural thing, even when stuck in traffic.

For autocrossing...I will only drive a manual or SMG type transmission. (Granted I haven't autocrossed the Porsche yet, but I intend to.) You can rev the engine to get a better a start off the line. You can leave it in gear as you're blasting through a slalom or making your way around a tight series of turns. I don't need something up-shifting (which most tip-tronics do to prevent you from hitting the rev-limiter) forcing me to lose time in an unnecessary down-shift later.

It all comes down to what you're going to do with the car. If you're going to boulevard cruise it, get the tippie, but if you're going to drive it, get the 6.

As for the prices. It depends on the options. I paid $36,750 for a 2001 S. I had the Sport Design Package (arctic silver accents all throughout the car) sport seats, litronic headlights and an extended warranty with no deductible through Oct. 2007. (The manufacturers warranty through Oct 2004.) The car was in mint condition and only had 17,000 miles. It had brand new tires and was always dealer serviced. According to KBB this was $750 under private party for my options. I bought 2 mos ago.

Just for reference. So depending on what's on the two cars, the prices may be fair or they maybe high. If you get the VIN number you can call the dealer to find out what options the car came with.