Why would you bother "manually" shifting your automatic when the same effect can be easily achived by depressing the gas pedal? The only reason the gear selector is there is for climbing and decending steep hills. This way if you're ascending a hill, you can keep the tranny from going into overdrive and if you're descending, you can use the engine for braking.

Man, I swear I've read this same ignorant thread a million times before. Bottom line is, if you want a manual, buy a manual. Otherwise, deal with the fact that you have an automatic and don't beat it unless you like replacing transmissions.