2001 Z24-All info please

well i used to own a 95 sedan, but it was slow as hell and no fun. I just got my 2001 Z24 and im really having fun with it. Its the 4 cylinder 2.4L Twin cams 150HP and so far its stock. So i was wondering what were some of your opinions of the car, likes/dislikes any recomended upgrades?

Also i was wondering if i should worry about this, its a 4 speed automatic and i noticed that the gears shift really hard between first and 2nd gear. If i just punch it in first gear and keep it down till second, when it changes gears from frist to second the tires will squeal. Im just wondering is this really hard on the trans and can it cause later problems?