whilst i agree its a pain in the ass, i reckon the learning expeirence is well worth it. Another important factor is that there are only a handfull of ae71's out there compared to the ke70's. then devide that tiny amount in half because almost half are autos. IMHO its better to buy a decent condition ke70 (again, more common = easier to get = better buying range = potentially better car) and the conversion parts and just convert it.
cheers
Yeah its a great learning experience i agree, i was in a cbf mood last night so get a KE70 its fun to convert it.