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Re: Any Good Year for 9000 auto transmissions?? Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Mon, 16 Apr 2001 14:26:24 In Reply to: Any Good Year for 9000 auto transmissions??, Tom T., Mon, 16 Apr 2001 01:10:35 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
I've heard rumor that the tranny was *somewhat* improved in later years, but I've seen enough late model cars with bad trannies.
It's amazing that we bitch and moan about needing to fix something after 100K+ miles. Remember when 80K was scrapyard time for most cars? (OK, not Saabs, but still...)
I count on replacing an automatic after about 100K or so. If it lasts longer, great. It's not that the manual transmissions never break - in general, the manual will cost less to run over the life of the car, but buying a manual tranny does not guarantee no problems.
If you figure 15K miles a year, an automatic is good for about 6 year or more. Still plan on having the car in six years? If the autobox has a few miles on it now, build that into the price, just like you should build into the price other unknowns (muffler, cooling system, heater core, electrics....) - the same for any used car.
The only cars that don't break are the die-cast models you buy in the parts department. Don't not buy a car just because it has an automatic - know it's strengths and limitations, and work with them.
I also would buy a turbo. I have both turbo and non-turbo automatics, and the non-turbo coupled with the automatic is just too slow for my taste. Will the tranny last longer? Maybe. But you want to enjoy driving the car. The next time you need to brake when merging on the highway because you don't have the acceleration of the turbo, will reminding yourself that you're saving a few bucks (maybe) make you feel better?
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