For those of you that posted above with the trifecta tune on an auto, do y'all know what kind of numbers you're seeing? HP, Torque, and MPG?

It's looking like an auto is the way to go. I'd burn up the clutch in a stick too fast any way (good deal of start/stops on hilly roads in my commute). That and still... The armrests!

I've found a few autos nearby on Autotrader. There's a sharp looking black SS, but it's got 120k miles and they want about $10k, when I could get one with under 80k miles for $13-14k.

 

Not trying to change your mind on the auto vs 5 speed choice.
But. I have the 5 speed, no armrests, and I don't miss them at all. When I 1st got my SS I thought I would miss having a place to put my arm but after 4 years I can honestly say it doesn't even cross my mind anymore.

Now, if I'm in my pickup truck with an automatic trans., then I definitely need a place to rest my right arm.

 

I have two cars right now, a 93 geo tracker manual and a 97 cavalier z24. Cavalier has an armrest, geo doesn't. Whenever I drive the geo, I feel like Will Ferrel in "Talladega Nights" except it's my arms I don't know what to do with instead of my hands.

I like driving my geo, but hate driving it in traffic and on longer trips. That and I'm looking for an auto to help appease SWMBO.

 

I've had both the auto ss and now the manual. As firemangeorge said, you don't notice not having the armrests cuz your having too much fun throwing gears :) Honestly, I wish I could have both. The auto for long commutes and drag strip runs but the 5-speed is waaaaayyyy more fun.
I would save you pennies and keep a look out for a 2010 model with low miles. The 2010 models have all the bugs worked out plus I think all of then come with brembos and rpd. High mileage with turbo cars can be a headache

 

I bought my SS auto new in '08. Had the GMTU done shortly after when the tune was released. More than 5 years later, it still goes like a scalded frog(only 33,000 miles on it now). I went with the GMTU because full warranty was covered by GM. Others weren't. I've been completely happy with the tune. As others have said, I would get the tune with the harnass included. Much easier install. You could also purchase an HHR SS with the tune already installed. There are plenty out there. Just sayin'. I prefer the arm rests, there were 2 at the dealers when I purchased mine(1 auto, 1 stick). They are not 400-500 HP so the arm rest was a deal closer as far as I was concerned. I couldn't imagine doing a long drive without it. Good Luck and welcome.

 

Not exactly. The RPD was standard on all the 2010 SS's. The Performance Package, which was the Brembos and limited slip diff., was an option on the 5 speeds. Not available with the automatic.

 

Ahhh, so only us '10 5-speed guys get allll the goodies ...well, except armrests

 

Just to chime in,

I have an 09 Auto. I was looking for a manual originally but decided on the auto when I found the one I liked. I've been very pleased with it. I honestly don't use the arm rests much. Their way to short IMO and don't provide much support. I drive most of the time with them up.

I have the superchips canned tune on mine and have been really pleased with the results. it really woke the car up as well

 

Definitely wanting the newest I can get (if I could find a 2010 with 30k miles for a good deal, especially in black, I'd break my wrist pulling out my wallet).

Year wise and mileage wise.

Is there any easy was to tell if it's had the GMTU installed? Are the sensors marked 3 bar?

It'd be nice to find one some old guy bought to drive to church on Sundays.

 

The GMTU SS's will have this Bosch Tmap sensor on top. The blue sticker is the giveaway that the car has the upgrade. There is also one on bottom that is not really visible.
The stock sensors are just plain black colored with a small white GM logo..