fmccamant:
I agree with Lee, the choice is your comfort zone. I couldn't live with out 6 speed but then again I may be just trying to recapture my youth! The automatics are pretty good nowadays but I really enjoy the interaction of the manual. I did drive the automatic 1st and it was tempting, but we (yes my wife also agreed to the manual) so it took a little longer to find one. I have owned 8 Corvettes and I always liked the standards best. The Xfire is great either way.