If you're talking performance (and you said you hadn't planned on racing) you're not going to know the difference.
BUT - I think you're not focused on performance point of view. IMO manual is way more fun - I feel like I have a lot more control with the car. Having said that
1) starting with a manual in a hilly place is a little harder.
2) Your friend is wrong. Although I think most people who enjoy muscle or sports cars love to drive manual, you don't have to.
3) If you do get manual I suggest buying a cheap used car that has manual - this way you can practice and more importantly see if you really like it. You may fall in love with it - and the last thing you'd want to do is buy a brand new 2010 camaro then regret it everyday you didn't buy a manual.
by the way - if you can't afford another car, even a cheap one to practice on, rent a car. My first camaro was auto - I absolutely loved it! But I also wished every day it was a manual - so I rented a car a couple of times took it out to the country and learned how to drive stick. It's a cheap way to learn how to drive manual and see if you like it.
and besides, an automatic camaro is still probably 10X better whatever your friend is driving!
