I think as long as my left knee holds up I will always have a stick shift truck.

 

I got the 6 speed for better control. I get a better feel of the road and thats important when trailering my horses. I would rather have user error than mechanical error with the shifts. But thats just me. Everyone that I know swears by there auto trans. I grew up with the hand-shaker and still want to drive one as long as my old body can handle it. With all the new advances in the auto world I don't think you can go wrong with either. I think it's just a matter of what you would like to drive. I had to order mine to get the lariat trim and all the goodies. Well worth the wait.

 

There's no automatic transmission built that can hold a candle to a manual trans in regard to longevity, cost of ownership/maintenance (in $s and time) or towing control, especially if you use the truck for intended purpose (towing)....big plusses for a manual argument. You can put one heck of a lot of clutches in a manual before you even start to scratch the surface of the cost of proper preventative maintenance of an auto (let alone the rebuild and/or replacement cost that's inevitable).

Autos are definetly better if you (don't take this the wrong way) like to be "lazy" while driving a lot of heavy traffic jam/urban roads (for ease of the driver). However, be aware that the convience of an auto in this situation has a price as they heat up pretty quickly when the TC is unlocked/no air flow (shortens life some). Autos are also better for folks who like to "hot rod" these trucks. If you want to drag race rice burners on the street from stoplight to stop light then definetly get an auto. As good as the new torqueshift is it still has a lot more issues than the manual has. When's the last time you saw a post from a manual guy moaning about having to get a PCM reflash, unhook the batteries so the computer can "re-learn" your driving habits, take it in for a recall fix, needing a flush and 2 filters etc etc? Not to knock the TS tranny but it's just the way autos are.

I could've went and purchased a new SD from literally 4 different dealers within 25 miles of my house but all they have in Vegas is autos. I went all the way to PolarBear (1,200 miles away) to have him find me a manual truck and buy it. I don't regret it one iota and this is coming from a guy who had a $6,000 ATS FULL diesel trans setup in my last truck. The stock ZF is light years better than any auto I've ever owned (including that $6k ATS). I pull an 11,000+ lb travel trailer at least one weekend a month and love the handshaker. When I use it for a daily driver in heavy urban traffic I just drive it like my stick shift commuter car, I hang back and leave space between me and the guy in front (just like the big rig guys do), it's really not a big deal if you drive it right you really minimize shifting a lot.

Resale: Maybe it's geographical but every place I've lived (I'm military and have lived from one end of the country to the other at times) any used 3/4 or 1 ton truck with a stick shift would sell much faster than an auto truck, especially on a private party sale scenario. My last truck I sold before this SD I had about 5 out of 10 callers hang up as soon as I said it had an auto tranny in it, and the other 5 folks were still skeptical even after showing them the reciept for a brand new $6,000 transmission a year and a half earlier. People don't worry much about having to potentially spend some bucks on a clutch/pilot bearing if it came to it but they do worry a lot about having to spend thousands on getting an auto fixed. Just my experience though.


To each his own but for me I finally decided (after much $$$ and @ss pain) that the cost of an auto's "convience" was way too high.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll enjoy whatever you get (as long as it's in a SD)

 

Thanks Guys.. All of you all have really good arguements between the both. I agree with both. I really dont plan to sell my truck when I get.. Atleast for a long time. Keep the info coming about the both its really great that I hear the Goods/Bads between the two. I was thinking about a 6spd having more of a feel of the truck when driving it.
I really need to find a 6spd on a lot somewhere and test it out. The Auto I drove really was nice. I have drove a '91 7.3 5spd that a Friend of mine had. I liked it but just didnt have the power to go along with it.
But keep the comments coming (pro/ cons) between the two. This is really helping me. I say just as soon as I can test a 6spd out and reading all of your alls feedback will really help me decide. You all have been great..

Evan