[The Stig's U.S. Cousin]

I'm planning on getting a 2007 BMW 328i coupe. I have heard that if i don't get it in manual i will be losing a lot of power and that's not what i want. I would love to get the manual, but my parents don't agree. My parents have only come up with three reasons
1.) The insurance is more expensive.
2.) It's a distraction.
3.) There is a smaller market for them therefore its harder to sell.
If you have any thoughts i would love to hear them, so i can hopefully put together a decent argument, and get my manual. Also if you are a parent yourself, would you rather have your kid driving a manual or auto?