Jooseppi, I bet you could column shift pretty well if you built a linkage with high precision spherical rod ends. I am sure that shifters of old used a lot of sloppy linkages.

Chazola: Personally when driving an automatic, I take advantage of automatic shifting. When in my Merc I keep both hands on the steering wheel, allowing more precise control for me.

To play with the shifter incessantly has little to do with the style or aggressiveness of driving. I like the Mercedes auto as it doesn't seem to freewheel like more modern autos.

We all come from different backgrounds. I grew up shifting cars and bikes manually. I got my first automatic in 1980 to be used as my tow vehicle for my road racers. About half of my vehicles since have been autos.

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85 Merc 300D - Unwinding 31 years of wear
86 VW TD
Mahindra Diesel
Iseki Diesel

In 2007 I didn't own a diesel.