Manual Transmission? Yea or Nay?

itguy08 wrote:
Still looking for the first truck in preparation for our first RV sometime next year and I've pretty much narrowed it down to an F2/350 with the V10. Not sure I want to roll the dice with a 6.0 Diesel and the poor fuel economy of the 6.4.

So I've found a few and one that gets my curiosity is a V10 and 6 speed stick. Driving stick is nothing new to me - owned a few along the way. I've even driven a few trucks with sticks (U-hauls, etc) and don't remember it being much different than a car (other than the 2MPH Low :) ). I love the simplicity of it and for Ford the tow rating is the same.

So, is there any downsides to a stick vs auto? Or would I be crazy to think stick for a tow vehicle?

Back to the regular programming...opinions to the OP's question

Bottom line on a choice between auto or manual is mainly personal preferences

Again, here are mine for a manual tranny:

• Added weight of any automatic over manual
• Added cost to buy over manual
• Added cost to maintain an automatic
• Added heating to the whole system by ATF
• Cost to rebuild an auto is more
• Touted controls of both the engine and tranny computers is a negative to me (one back ground is in computing...another is automation & systems controls)
• All computer controlled automatics algorithms are for the fat part of the herd bell curve...I've never been in that herd, so their attributes does NOT fit my driving style
• Engine braking is better with a manual

And just plain prefer a manual to an automatic for my trucks/SUV's

No one can convince me to change, nor do I expect to convince someone
else's preference...unless either I hear something that might make
sense to me, or someone else finds my opinions compelling...