411A,
So far it is the only A/T installed type I have flown, but most of the people I have talk to said that the B737 A/T is perhaps one of the most remarkable drawback when compared to other airplanes.
However, I prefer to fly A/T off every time the A/P is off (as recommended by Boeing).
GF,
The retard mode starts at 27' RA. It was one of the main reasons, 50' AGL was chosen as the minimum height in our company.
We used to land with the A/T in the ARM mode, that enables to hand fly the airplane while having alpha floor protection, but because Boeing clearly not recommended this feature, especially in gusty wind conditions, the SOP was revised.