I’m glad I learned how to use manual transmission back in the day; most cars in Europe are manual transmission.
If you looked in at the 80-odd cars parked outside my apartment building, I’d guess that maybe no more than three or four of them have automatic transmissions. Even most of the higher-end cars (MBZ sedans) have manual transmission.
It’s as common as air over here. I can’t think of a single person I know among my current/former students and my friends and acquaintances who doesn’t know how to drive a stick.
At least in Norway it is required that you take your driving test in a stick shift. Not sure about other countries.
Lived abroad, Spain, for 4 years. Wife needed an automatic, she will never drive a stick ... long story.
So I go down to the local used car lot and they tell me no chance on a used automatic, they are just not available; wasted two weeks looking. Then I go to the local Ford dealer and bite the bullet to order a new Focus with automatic. He spends a couple weeks and tells me no luck, automatics are for handicapped and very tough to get. Sorry about that.
So then I tell him to widen his search; I don’t care about color, # of doors or how far he has to ship it ... I just NEED an automatic; and I want it ASAP. A month with an unhappy wife feels like a couple years!
So a week later the car arrives, 4 doors, some kind of seafoam green color with just about every option. Wife loved it and I have to say, it was a fantastic car. Very fast and nimble even with the automatic. It gripped the road tighter the faster you went. Loved it.
And I sold it to the first person that looked at it, another guy who had to have an automatic for his wife. I knew exactly how he felt ... but I charged him top dollar anyway. His wife was thrilled.