well, the other day my son's 18 year old friend came over and the two boys wanted to go for a surf. The 18 year old only has an automatic license and son's Forrester is a manual (he is still on 'L' plates). I couldn't take them because I had to go to Uni. The two boys missed the beach and ended up staying home. The 18 year old said that having an automatic has already caused problems where he works because he is limited - he has to drive patients around.
I personally find automatics are boring to drive. I've got a Mini Cooper and can't imagine driving an automatic version would give you the same "go kart" feel.