One of the moderators will be along to do it more officially but until then, welcome!
34 in the unsophisticated Prizm is pretty good. The AT is definitely a stumbling block but you appear to be coping successfully.
Coasting in neutral is okay. I've done it for years and years in my Forester and previously in a Caravan. Goosing the throttle a bit before dropping back into D will help prevent the lurch on engagement. You might want to practice on some otherwise unoccupied road before getting really serious with it in traffic, however.
That model was also available with a 4-spd auto; if you're a dab hand with a wrench, have a thousand bucks lying around doing nothing and a free week to dedicate to a greasy project...
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