The problem is the rest of the vehicle is FCA quality, including how it’s put together and all the electronic systems - the quality overtime is just not there.  If you want one it should only be under warranty (consider a lease);  outside of that, you are really gambling.

Buy or lease at your own risk. Video starts out with wranglers and gladiators with manual transmissions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOwIm28Lpx0&ab_channel=ScottyKilmer

It is better than automatic but the rest of the car is not good as well, all kinds on problems will occur. So, the answer to your question is No.

Not reliable at all. Short answer.

They are rolling piles of garbage!

That’s actually a really interesting question.  The typical answer in Kilmerland is that anything FCA/Stellantis is crap, which it is.  But as a rule, it’s not the drivetrains that are the problem, it’s all the electronic gremlins.  The hemi V8s and newer 6’s are generally pretty good (the Fiat sourced 4 cylinder engines maybe not).  And the transmissions are fairly average, for the most part.

So you ask about a manual wrangler.  The reliability will mostly be determined by the number of electronic options you add.  In my opinion, if you keep it pretty basic, a manual wrangler could be a reasonably reliable car, and probably the top bang-for-the-buck off-roader you can buy.

By the way, if you aren’t going to off road it, there are better choices.