Why a auto now? The new vehicles w/ hydraulic clutches now are so easy & the engines having so much flexibility. Age doesn't matter.
I know age doesn't matter. You'd never know I was 42 if we met. It was just to give reference to how long I've been driving sticks. As for why now, and this is going to sound "sissy" to some, but I work hard. I love my job, but it's work, and I'm on my feet ALL day. My left foot hurts pretty bad most of the time now. My commute is short, but it's all stop lights all they way 18 miles of stop lights at almost every block. This is the sissy part haha, but it got to the point to where driving hurts. I was in pain every time I shifted. The auto helps, a lot. The stick didn't make my foot hurt, my job did, the driving just made it worse. It got the point to where I only drove to work and back, never anywhere else and never for fun, and I love to drive. Now I drive again and it's fun again. Sounds lame, but my foot pain was that bad. Probably didn't help it was a truck with a heavy clutch though.