with my 37s and 373s the 6 speed is great

Towing not a problem. I can always shift down

 

I sure would like to find an manual tranny to drive. Hard to find in my area.

 

The auto would be fine in some areas. No towing much , flat land open driving, I would suggest 410 gear if you do any towing or in a Mountain area. Mine is 373 and I believe it would have less problems if I had the 410. I kick my self daily for not getting another 6 speed. I have had problems from day one with my truck. I want to get rid of this one but when I do I want another Dodge. I just got a bad one this time.

 

If he wants to put larger tires on the six speed is great, but with the stock tires it is revving too high on the highway. Pulls a trailer great though.

A very agonizing decision for sure, I went through the same thing. Got the manual and love it.

 

I work on these trucks day in day out and in my mind it is either put a clutch in at 100k ish or a trans rebuild at 100k ish (if you keep it serviced) i dont know what it is about autos but that is just about what we get out of them

 

Manual!!

I Was The Same Way And Ended Up Listening To My Girlfriend And Got A Automatic!

Stupid Stupid Stupid!

 

If someone hasn't driven a stick much, on anything, or if they tend to prefer an auto, get an auto as they'll be happier with it.

I have a stick but of the friends I know with trucks I'm the only one who does (a couple though did say that they'd get a stick next time). I much prefer a stick over an auto, I like the driving experience, autos have a shorter lifespan and are more problem prone with all of the sensors/actuators/wiring harnesses/etc., and with a stick you have more options for downshifting to complement your ABS brakes when dealing with garvel/snow/etc.

 

In my 02 I had the 6 speed and my 06 is the auto with tow haul mode. My 02 felt and rode like a truck, my 06 is a lot softer and smoother. There were times with my 02 I wished I had the auto and likewise on my 06 I wish I had the 6 speed.

The 1st of this month was our first trip in the 06 towing our RV, about 300 miles. I was actually pretty impressed with how well the truck pulled with the auto. The tow haul mode worked great. The only thing I noticed was after leveling off from a hill it took what I felt a little too long to up shift, unless I took my foot off of the go petal for a second or two. Maybe that’s normal.

The only reason I sold my 02 with the manual trans was to get one with an auto. My wife had a hard time driving the manual (hard trans to shift) and never drove it. I do miss my 02 but I am really happy with the 06.

 

My last two trucks had 4.10s... the 2001 was a 6sp, the 2003 an auto (48RE). I will NEVER have 4.10s in another truck. The 3.73s are such a good ratio, especially with the newer G56. The revs end up the same as my 03 48RE with the 4.10s... granted a tad higher than ideal, but stick some taller tires on and you're set.

Rob

 

I have the manual and knew I wanted it long before I bought it. I have no regrets about it and will never buy an auto.

Still a tough decision and like said before it is personal preference and what will he be doing with the truck.

 

I have a few questions for manual transmission owners. Which gear do you start off in from a dead stop (empty), how many RPMs @ 75MPH, and finally does your truck sound different than a CTD with an auto transmission when shutting down?

 

Auto for towing or racing.

 

Start off in 2nd. Don't know the exact RPM @ 75, but these trannies are geared low - if I remember correctly, about 2400 RPM. As far as I'm concerned, they sound the same.

 

I guess where you live can play into it some what. I live in the Washington D.C. metro area and the auto is nice here. But in a more rural area I would want a 6 speed.

 

Its all about the stick.