Unless it's a fun car (i.e. fast), zero interest in a manual transmission car, especially a FWD one. The whole "better driving experience" thing goes away when you're stuck in traffic for 2 hours a day, and most FWD manual trans shifters feel about like a soggy pool noodle in a tub of pudding. If someone made a FWD manual trans that felt like a T-56 or a T-6060, maybe.
My good experiences with pre-Renault Nissan definitely do not match my experiences with post-Renault Nissan. '99 and 2001 Altimas were tanks...newer stuff, not so much.