Auto vs. Manual, Old vs. New, Mercedes vs. Toyota

My first car was a 1987 Toyota Corolla, a lovely little car with a 1.6L carby engine and a 4-speed manual transmission. It handled like unlike any performance car, mostly due to its soft suspension and economic design. It was however a blast to drive through the hills of Adelaide, mostly due to its manual transmission. You may be thinking, why post a photo of a Mercedes when praising a Corolla? Well. One of the cars I am looking at getting is a 1997 Mercedes-Benz C240. As with most Mercedes that came to Australia it features an automatic transmission. Before I obtained an interest in cars and while I was learning to drive my family had a Mitsubishi Outlander, an automatic.

My post goes out to people who constantly switch between automatics and manuals. What are your pros and cons of each and do you think I will receive high levels of joy from spirited driving in an automatic?