Manual all the way. I love the control, getting a little better gas mileage depending on my driving habits and off road if you know how to handle the clutch it's just as good as an auto.

PLUS, in a manual tranny, there isn't 400 things to break and is a lot more simple to fix if need be.

My JK is my first 6 speed. I work as a valet so I drive a lot of manuals, and I can't see myself driving an automatic Jeep, it would be too boring now.

 

Less to break in a manual, I wish I had both that would be sick,
I love having manual, it seems for like a Jeep when manual because I learned how to drive manual in a Jeep so it brings back memories.
When my stupid friends in high school wanted to drive it they couldn't because it was manual.
I didn't like how the auto performed on road, I'm sure it makes it a lot easier when crawling over stuff in an auto because I'm still trying to figure out how to clutch over stuff without jerking so much in 4L.
I drove the auto first when I was test driving the JK and it just felt akward going through corners not downshifting.

 

i love my auto, manual for my sport car.... plus my wife use the jeep too

 

Ditto.
Also my wife loves driving a standard trans! No auto needed for her

 

Nice - I like it.

 

First manual 4x4 I've owned. Jeep has done this gearbox setup just right. It's forgiving and the ability to select a wide range of gears... 6... say no more! Now, if I had to deal with stop and go traffic every day, I'd drive my Dodge Ram auto, but off road - love it!

 

I use a Manual Ford Ranger 4x4 for work, and I pretty much go "Wheeling" everyday for work, or drive in busy streets with motorbikes zipping in and out. I wish daily I had a Auto! Manual becomes a PITA.

But, if I had a Jeep again, for weekend drives in the USA, might go with manual for the fun and diversity.

From a tactical/evasive driving point of view though, autos are better.

 

that t shirt is great. Haha

 

My Shelby had a manual. So did my Alfa. My MGs were all 4 speeds. My Suzukis were all manuals. My WRX was a manual. Both my CJ5 and YJ were manuals. My Honda S2000 has a manual. My JK has an auto. For off road, the auto allows me to concentrate on my line, and truly simplifies things. I'd prefer a 5 or 6 speed auto, but it'll do.

For genuine performance cars, I'll buy it with a manual transmission. However, for the JK, the auto is what I prefer.

 

Convenience is the key for me. I learned to drive on a stick, and can say, IMO outo is more enjoyable.