Once upon a time I swore I'd never drive an automatic car, but after years of commuting in DC traffic (including once getting caught in an icy situation and a five hour commute home from the airport) I'm happy to have my automatic. I still sometimes reach for the stick, but other than that I've adjusted pretty well. Haven't used the paddle shifters, like others have said it's just not the same.

Also complicating matters is that my wife can't drive a manual. So that was always a chore to sort out on trips. I suppose we all pick our battles, eh?