Agreed. I put over 150K on a 2012 JK with a PentaStar and never experienced that problem, but there WAS a serious problem with the valve needle bearing in the port side head that required a head replacement - damaged the cam as well. The PentaStar was better in the Wrangler than the old...
With lockers and crawling up rock faces, how can you beat it? Around here, the worst my Bronco will see are forest paths when hunting and snow in the winter, so that won't happen. But what DOES happen is pulling stuff on the farm and pulling vehicles out of bad situations with recovery straps...
You can get used to a two-by-four whopping you upside the head every few minutes as well, but should you?
I honestly tried to get used to an automatic. I bought a new Bronco Sport before I got my Bronco, and after maybe 15K miles it was clear that I could never get used to the automatic...
Just found my socks. Now what were you saying?
Driving a manual keeps the driver alert and engaged. It's hard to build "nanny robots" to circumvent the human-to-machine interface we know and love.
Sounds like a good plan! I know you'll have fun. You'll meet some great people and swap some stories when it's time to eat. There is a store in the main building with T-Shirts, hats, stickers, etc, so make sure you bring some cash for that. You'll find that the staff has a great attitude...