I prefer to manually (flip) start my engine. My engines generally start right up, and if they don't I know something is wrong, and I feel that I have a better 'feel' of the engine using the chicken stick. Now on a cold day it's not so easy and I'll bring out the starter.

Manual fueling lets you count the amount of turns needed to fill the tank, and then how many to refill, so you can understand how much fuel you're burning during a flight.

For an electric starter, there are starters with battery packs that strap right on, so they are very easy to transport. Mine stays in the car though, unless it's cold (actually then it still stays in the car and I borrow one because mine's not big enough anyway =)

Just my $.005 - I'm still new at this so my experience only counts 25% (I have burned through 16 gallons or so this summer, so I've started my engine A LOT!)