Hello Cedric !
Welcome to you, I was feeling alone on this forum
Concerning the I-Shift transmission, I think your dealer told you some cracks (can I suppose that's a Japauto dealer ?). As far as I know, because our car are only sold in Europe they didn't bother to make an automatic gearbox for the car (too small market). And the i-shift is not designed to sustain the torque of the i-ctdi engine (what a shame). Maybe with the next generation ?
Concerning the I-shift have a look at the wiki section and read the various opinion of the member. Some of them like it some others don't. So ask for an extended test drive (not a 15 mn around the corner).
If you like softer rides ask for 16" wheels...
If you buy thiscar you will have one of the most exclusive car in Paris (I've seen more often Porsche and Aston Martin cars than new civic
)
Best regards
Laurent