Every week a Guardian Money reader submits a question, and it’s up to you to help him or her out – a selection of the best answers will appear in next Saturday’s paper.

I’d like to buy a hybrid car but they’re nearly all automatics. My teenage children will soon be old enough to drive and I think it’d be a useful skill for them to know how to drive a manual shift. Should I stick with a manual petrol/diesel or is the era of geared cars over?

Do you have a problem readers could solve? Email your suggestions to money@theguardian.com or write to us at Money, the Guardian, Kings Place, 90 York Way, London N1 9GU.