How much is your insurance?

@netwhizkid:

Give the manuals a try first, keep at it, the saying practice makes perfect didnt come from nowhere.

As for being in the same boat re. insurance, yes i am, im 17 on a provisional nearing then end of my first year and just turning 18, i have a 525td and its insured under my mothers name for around the 3k mark, a 316i with a slushbox will be much much cheaper to insure, im with hibernian through a broker, although i have just transfered my insurance over on to my Volvo 850 T5-R for the summer i will be renewing again on the bmw at the start of august.

I think your parents are right you should try driving the manual toyota first and get the hang of it, you'll appreciate your bm more when you start driving it, plus once you have the manual license you can drive anything, so to speak.

Regards

Ben