So hear me out. I'm looking for a used car and I've been torn between these two for quite some time now.  

Now, I live in a small, mountainous European country, and driving stick has been a pain. I like manual cars for their zippiness and responsiveness but I wouldn't want to burn another clutch because there's traffic up a 25-degree steep hill. Also, I appreciate good gas mileage, that's why I was looking into the Camry Hybrid (only option here for the Camry, anyway). My budget at the moment is about 24k. 

There are a few Camrys here but only last generation, 2.5L 4-cylinder (CVT hybrid), with prices starting at 27k and up. 

However, there are a few 2017 1.5L VTEC Civics with either manual transmission or CVT, starting at 16k, which is much more managable for my wallet. 

There are no Accords within this price range, unfortunately. Corollas with the 2.0L engine are also surprisingly expensive, and I'm afraid a Corolla might be a bit boring.

So, what do you think? Should I suck it up, learn to handle hills and bumps better, and buy a 2017 1.5L manual Civic? Or wait a bit, save up, and splurge out on a 2019 Camry? Or maybe go for a 2017 1.5L CVT Civic? 

Btw, the only available option here is to buy from a dealer, I'm afraid. There are almost no offers from private parties, with people either selling their cars to the dealer or to some retail company which handles it for them.