Naahhh....Done the unassisted brakes and steering thing on all my previous cars. Those of us in the more "seasoned" age brackets appreciate the creature comforts of more modern vehicles the more "seasoned" we get. I'm more "seasoned" than I like.
Oh, I completely understand that. I'm far more "seasoned" than I'd like and feeling it more and more.
Issue I have with the booster is that there is a point were the assist goes away and you are better without it. Don't remember the specifics, but it was something Ehrenberg printed once. Something about the ratios of the linkage and such, I think.
If I go anywhere from the manual brakes on my car, it will probably be a hydroboost of some sort. On the other hand, the manual steering will probably go away at some point. Can't see the manual trans leaving though, although it will need more gears soon.
Sorry about the problems you found in transmission.