Manual versus Automatic Transmission

Should you buy a car with manual transmission or automatic?  If you are going to buy an older car then a manual transmission is more fuel efficient than an automatic by 5% - 15%.  This is only true if driven in a fuel-efficient manner.  One should always shift gears at lower RPMs.  Shifting early will reduce acceleration but increase fuel efficiency. 
In newer cars with five or six speed automatic transmissions there is no clear advantage of manual over automatic.  And in fact you may get 5 mpg better with an automatic on some car models such as the Toyota RAV4, and the FJ Cruiser.