n00b wants a Taco

Hey y'all. Been lurking for a couple weeks and decided to join the fray.

Don't own a Tacoma yet, but seriously considering picking up a (barely) used one in the next couple days. Current rides are a 2004 Silverado 1500 4x4 and 1999 Miata.

2012 TRD Sport w/ 6MT (only one w/ v6/MT/4x4 combo listed in the state) and only 7,300 mi. Super clean, looks like it could have come off the show floor yesterday.

Gonna ask a few questions that have no doubt been asked a million times before, but wading through Search is giving me a headache.

1) The 6MT. Main motivator for me on this truck; I want stick. I keep reading here that it's a terrible transmission but haven't read a clear answer why. I drove this truck and in terms of feel I thought it was great.

2) The 4.0. Anything I should look for? I know the 3.4 needed a head gasket every 80k or so.

3) Has the TRD Sport sticker and scoop hood, but also the silver metal skid plate. Can it also have the Off Road pkg? Tires are stock dimensions but more aggressive tread than avg street tire.

4) Anything else I should look for/common future problems I should be aware of?