To each their own but no way here, stick over auto in a pure bred sports car every time because auto is boring in that type of car. Sure an auto tranny may be OK for a minivan, RV or station wagon but not for a pure bred sports car IMO
. Plus, as a driver, I feel more input and thrills driving a stick sports car and even off-roading on a 4x4 truck. Lots of folks are afraid to drive stick on those San Francisco hills but I actually prefer it because it takes more skills not to burn the clutch out and it's more thrilling compared to just shift to "D" and go.
I say the only area where auto might be over stick is heavy congested stop and go traffic in big cities like SF, NYC, etc., after a long day of work..