Sure autos are nice,
but the Ford autos kinda suck.
I had an AOD in a 98 v6 and yeah,
I would beat just about anything with the approximate engine size, other than an Extreme, but it gets boring...
Long highway drives from Lawton Oklahoma to Galveston Texas... 500 miles... gets boring in an auto.
Plus,
from a street racer's point,
autos are easier to drive while the almighty stick demands accurate shifting or the great grinding.
I can tell you missing a speedshift sucks.
I've lost many a races due to misshifting..
But I've only been driving a stick for 9 or so months...
**** the autos.
Get a stick.
But no bashing intended.