Is Spencerpoint near NYC? If it is that mightbe why there are no manuals. The dealer might think that people wouldn't want to be driving a manual in heavy traffic all the time. If you are near NYC try dealers in more rural areas.

 

And I think Luke S will chime in here and correct me if I am wrong, the dealerships are on allotment and they get what they get. They cannot choose. I had my dealership search for a six speed also as they had all automatics.
They had to go 200 miles to find the truck and package i wanted, but they did it.

 

6 1/2 hrs from NYC, between Buffalo and Rochester.

 

When I ordered my 97 5spd the dealer tried talking me into an auto - no way! When I shopped for my used 03 it wasn't too hard finding a 6spd but it was next to impossible (it took several months of puter searches) to find a 6sp 4.10. The dealer that had it said it was very rare and no dealers order there stock that way. Keep trying! Patience worked for me. Craig

 

I didn't even know they put a 6 speed with the 4.10 rear end. That must run what, like 2100 or so rpm at 65? Mine runs exactly 2000 at 65.

 

They did with the NV5600 and NV4500. Not with the new G56.

When i went and looked, about 75% of my dealer's trucks on the lot were manuals.

 

There arn't many if any 6 speeds in Southern California so I had to order mine.....

 

I checked all the dealers in Fl., and their were just a couple to be found , and I had to drive 60miles to the dealer that had 3 on the lot. All the local dealers tried to talk me into an auto., if I couldn't find one I'd of just kept my old GM gas dually with an auto..What made me get a manual this time was getting stranded once with my fifthwheel 700miles from home,in which I drove home in 2nd gear the whole way with a truck full of kids.

 

Boy, you guys are really ripping Tripplenickle's heart out.

My story: March 05, I email a handful of dealers around central MA looking for a 6 speed. None. I email a few more dealers and one 45 minutes away had two. I took a ride, test drove one but neither truck was close to what I wanted. A buddy of mine, big Dodge guy who knew I was looking emailed me to tell me about his new job at a Dodge dealer and wanted to know if he could help. I told him what I wanted and they had four, yes FOUR NV's on the lot. The one I ended up with was close enough to what I wanted. Since the NV was out of production I was sold as long as they met my price, which they obviously did.

This New London, CT, dealer carries sticks in Dakota's and 1500's as well as CTD's. My friend went back to his family's business, but I'm sure he'd be willing to pass along some contact info if you're interested in seeing what they have.

 

When I went to my dealer in Sept. 1996 I had to order my truck. When I said I wanted a 5-speed manual ST model with manual windows & locks and rubber floor ... the guy looked at me as if I had Lobsters crawling out of my ears.

I had to wait 8 weeks for my truck back then. And I have only found one other manual transmission Dodge on a lot in New England since then.

People are just lazy and don't know or can't learn how to drive a manual ... so the dealerships stock what most people want.

 

Usually if you live in a big city, people want auto's because all they do is drive around town, at least thats what the dealer told me?!?!

 

Triplenickel:

I know what you mean. When I went looking for mine over the course of a year, I could find plenty of autos w the CTD, and plenty of sticks behind the Hemi, but 6-spd CTD QC SWB? Fuggetaboudit! I just happened to luck out. My wife tells me to look at the dealer we usually go to (1.5 hrs away) and I tell her "it ain't gonna happen..". I'll be damned if i didn't see the truck I was looking for parked nose up on the hill next to the dealer. Dealer couldn't get the truck off the lot fast enough. No demand for that config, he says. Yeah right. I took it, the truck I wanted stickered at 45K, for 35K off the lot.

 

Down here you have a hard time finding one that's NOT a 6 spd.

 

I had similar trouble finding what I wanted. Looked around for about 2 years, looking for used long bed 4x4 quad cab manual, with CTD. Dealers all wanted to sell me a new $50k truck (with auto, i might add). Finally stumbled on what I was looking for in Morristown TN while on a back-roads road trip coming home from Asheville NC. Truck had low miles (2000 with 65k) had all the options I was looking for, and was $4-5k cheaper than anything I had looked at in my home state. SOLD!

 

This is nice to read, I am new to the forum and diesels but I will be darned if I can find what I want locally. I think I found the truck I want in Texas and will fly there and drive it back if I can get the numbers to work. It's an '03, swb, auto, crew cab, CTD with lots of comfort for the wife and kids while I pull the boat. I asked elsewhere but what is the big advantage of the manual? I might have to change what I am looking for.