Auto Or Manual?

[splash]

Hi,

A friend is buying a Corolla 1.6 vvti T3 possibly, needs advice as its an auto. He would prefer manual but are the auto's any good, any known probs etc?

Cheers

[Twincam.GTi]

It depends on what your driving style prefers.

Also 'auto' box cars don't suffer problems these days (and haven't done for the past 2 decades). Plus engines in auto cars tend to be in better condition as vehicle is changing gear at precisely the right speed/ revs. So much so that friends of mine who mess with classic cars/old bangers prefer when obtaining a replacement engine to have one out of an Auto version because the engine is usually in better condition (recent example was restoration of friends late 70's 3.0 Essex engined Capri).

So it might be a good choice

[splash]

Thanks for that,

I agree, it is at the end of the day down to personal preference. Anyway i have told him to test drive it and if he likes it go for it!!

Cheers for the reply :D

[dvdmeister]

Remember that conventional autos do have down sides - they will use noticeably more fuel, put out more CO2 (which may cost you more in road tax, and a lot more in company car tax if thats applicable), and will be slower (although unless you drive at full throttle you probably won't notice this). This is because auto transmissions weigh a lot more than a manual box, and there is a lot of power loss in an auto box due to the torque convertor (which is what tells the box when to change gear).

If your friend prefers manual boxes, then I would say get a manual! Autos are good if you are lazy, or when you are stuck in crawling traffic, but the rest of the time I don't see the point. Some cars are better suited to auto boxes, notably most Mercedes, but that is usually only because the cars are designed for auto boxes and have engines which are well suited to them.

I'm not sure about the idea that cars with auto boxes give engines easier lifes. I mean, a car with a manual box is only going to have a knackered engine if the previous owner was a tit and couldnt get their head around changing gear smoothly and at the appropriate times. If a car is driven by a boy racer, the engine will be just as worn in an auto as in a manual, but the auto box itself is likely to suffer more than a manual box in this situation (it could suffer premature wear from constant high operating temperatures).