[Dodger]

I certainly agree that it is cheaper to leave well enough alone. Also I agree the gains in MPG would be negligible. The reason I would prefer a stick to an auto is side of the road serviceability. I can rebuild a stick with the equipment I have in my truck at any given time. Manuals give signs when they are getting ready to go out, an automatic is more of a ticking time bomb. So I guess the real question would be how reliable are the Allison 500 series transmissions? My truck will not be very heavy (less than 18k pounds). When I do pull a trailer, it will be my 5k pound camper. Not really much work for this sort of equipment, but still I hate the thought of being stuck somewhere because my trusty Allison decided it was time to take a break. I have rebuilt many a manual transmission in my days, but have yet to crack the cover on an automatic. Does this seem like a legit reason, or am I just going crazy?

Dodger