I was in the same situation as you..
been driving auto for wonks, but i thought learning manual will be the biggest challenge of my life, so i will get a auto r33, and save some money and do it up in mods..
But yup everyone told me you will regret it.. So i went manual.. took me a good 1-2 weeks to learn, also since i put a heavy duty clutch in there.. But after that, no problems at all.. Its quite easy once you get the hang of it..
You will be more in control, also saves fuel, and you feel like driving, coz you are actually doin something..
So i suggest get a manual, learn on it for a good 2 weeks in some back streets etc etc and have some fun..