Thanks to everyone who provided input. I think my plan will be to get a stick only if the car calls for it (Altima 3.5, Accord Coupe V6). I obviously don't have a choice with the Infiniti I30 since it only comes in AT, but if I go with it (or any other "luxury" sedan) I'd go with AT anyway.
The assumptions that people made were correct.. I'm looking for a bang-for-the-buck car. Performance is a major factor but value is the #1 factor. The reason I was looking into 2nd hand Nissans and Infinitis is because the depreciation on them is so ridiculous. I wasn't looking at the I30 because I wanted to bling bling it, but because it had the VQ30DE engine from the Maxima of that generation, it had the huge depreciation factor, and the rollout of the I35 pushed its value down even more.
I will probably end up getting the I30. If I find a car that I like otherwise, I will test drive it with an auto, then have my roomie check it out.
