I understand the heavier the car the more maintenance there is and or things wear out faster. In between these two versions/transmissions which car will have less preventative maintenance and less problems? i.e. tires, brakes and shocks etc that will last longer.
On my other car I went 10 years without having to change brake pads as that car had 5 spd. manual. I didn't use brakes much as one would on an automatic. But it wasn't over 4,100 lbs.
IMO manuals are the way to go until you hit the breaking point...ie...Hellcat where it is unmanageable with a manual. Less trans fluid, longer lifespan (as long as you know how to shift right), less heat on the motor therefore longer motor life. As far as brakes go, I used to slow down using more downshifting myself to "save" brakes, but then my buddy brought up a good point.....brakes are cheap and take 30 min to fix. Why would you want to wear out a clutch to save brakes instead of use your brakes to save a clutch?