Hello, welcome to the UK! It always used to be the case, I think it's still true, that second hand automatics were more expensive than manuals - apart from the premium brands, where auto is pretty much expected in high-end Beamers and Mercs, and manuals are hard to find. But if you are still getting used to driving on the 'correct' side of the road, it might be worth sticking to auto for now... I think our roads are harder for a foreigner to drive on that the roads in the US, which are generally wider, slower and laid out in a more standard way.