Maybe it's my advancing years and poor eyesight (although it's only -0.25 in the shooting eye!) but I find MF on my AF bodies a royal PITA. Plain glass screens don't help a lot, neither do the darker viewfinders when compared to the cameras of yesteryear. I know I could get Katseye screens with microprisms or split circles which would help but since all my bodies can screw older lenses, I can't really see the point, especially since modern AF is so fast and accurate.
Having said that, since AF isn't really an affordable option at the 30-50mm prime level for the D40(x)/D60, it's certainly worth trying with an older AF prime to see how well you get on with it. 50mm f/1.8 lenses still pop up in 2nd hand stocks from time to time. Had mine a while now (7 or 8 years) and IIRC it cost me £35 or £40. Bought it for film use as a "standard" lens then used it on crop as a portrait (occasionally) and fast short tele and it's now come back into its own as a standard on a FF DSLR.
If you can find one cheap, go for it! If you don't get on with it in MF, either sell it on for what it cost you or keep it for when you upgrade to a body with a focus motor.