E46 330 in any guise - Spanish or slush-box?

[Legend83]

All,

Hopefully the wife will be getting this S Max on the weekend and so I am planning on releasing some value from the diesel Civic we have (hopefully get about £6-7k for it) and getting an E46 with the straight-six 3 (probably in touring guise).

Would one recommend this car with the manual or auto? Have heard manuals are notchy, fancy an auto but concerned about bork-factor...

[AB]

Manual isn't notchy. Mine isn't anyway, it's silky smooth. I have driven an auto some years ago (probably '05 before I'd owned anything decent - was bosses car) and don't remember it being too bad, but not as involving obviously.

[Unemployed]

I have a manual E90 330i saloon (currently for sale on this very website) and I would recommend the manual. It's very smooth and allows you to hang on to the revs a bit and listen to the wonderful noise of the six cylinder engine (surely a classic sound). Somehow makes the car a bit more sporting.

[T16OLE]

I have a 330ci Auto, and had a 325i manual in the past.

The Auto is great, shifts are really smooth, it is an enjoyable drive especially in traffic. It also pairs together with the I6 very nicely indeed. That said, it does turn it into more of a cruiser and stucks away a few MPG