I have looked at this site so many times I figured I might as well register.
I have an '03 Honda Pilot AWD and will be buying another vehicle this year and am pretty excited about the Patriot. Good looks, good mileage, and finally a vehicle with a reasonable price make this little buggy pretty appealing.
This site is the only place I have found with good information on the Patriot but I seem to notice a lack of information about the manual transmission. I will post another thread in the drivetrain section.

Manual transmissions are around as long as the cars themselfs and there is very little these days that can upset the manual transmission.I have test driven the Patriot and it shifts effortlessly and very smoothly.And if getting a JEEP is your wish that 4x4 with a stick is the way to go I belive.