Dodge manual vs. automatic transmission

[idahosafari]

My wife and I are still shopping around for a truck capable of towing an Airstream Safari 28W.

We're probably going to go with a Dodge Ram 2500 with the quad cab and Cummins diesel, or the gas hemi.

One controversial question has been whether to go for an automatic or manual transmission.

How reliable are Dodge automatic transmissions for 2004? We have heard that the automatic trannies were re-designed a year or two ago to replace one with a poor reputation for reliabilty. Are the new ones any good?

Then there's the question of manual transmissions. Should they be considered more reliable then the automatics for towing?

- Charlie