They're out there, you just have to look. It took me six months to find my XLT Lariat with all the bells and a six-speed. I finally found her, called the owners that had the ad listed on craigslist and they said "nope, it's not for sale anymore". I hounded them a week later and they agreed to sell it. I paid a little too much for it, but an extra grand is well worth the piece of mind that I'll never have a POS automatic leave me on the side of the road EVER AGAIN.
Just the other day I had a buddy of mine ask me "so if you had any amount of money to buy any truck you wanted, what would you get?". I looked at him and said "your riding in it.". And as far as how much effort is it to drive? I bought my 2001 crew cab long box
4WD from the cutest, blondest little 110 pound farm girl in Eastern Washington you could imagine. Garaged every night of its life until I bought it. She could shift it quicker and smoother than I ever hope to.
Shift on....