Best automatic small car for £2,000?

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Comments

  • AdrianC
    AdrianC Posts: 42,189 Forumite
    First Anniversary Name Dropper First Post
    Small automatics are never good value.

    Is "must be auto" due to your licence, a disability, or simply preference?
  • bigjl
    bigjl Posts: 6,457 Forumite
    facade wrote: »
    IIRC, the astra auto suffers from the poorly designed radiator/transmission cooler leaking coolant into the gearbox oil.
    Causes gear selection problems, but if caught early enough an oil change and new radiator sort it. (Or you can fit a proper external cooler and never have any trouble)

    Do you mean with the Mk4 or mk5?

    Never heard of an issue like that with the mk4 and I drove them (1.8 Auto) for work for the best part of 7 years. They were a mix of X Reg, 51 Reg, 52 Reg, 03 Reg and 53 Reg.

    We had 2.0dti Zafiras with the 4speed and they never had that issue.

    The 1.9 CDTi Zafiras had a different 5 speed auto and that wasn't one of the issues they suffered with.
  • Iceweasel
    Iceweasel Posts: 4,706 Forumite
    First Anniversary Photogenic First Post Combo Breaker
    stator wrote: »
    I have an automatic Lupo. There should be plenty for less than £2k now. All automatic cars are fairly inefficient but the 1.0 litre engine should be good enough for a run-about.
    It's kept me happy with no complaints.
    There are a few things to look for on the Lupo but they're generally ok

    I think that should read 'Many automatic cars can be inefficient'.

    Especially small-engined ones.
  • stator
    stator Posts: 7,441 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Post
    No, they all are. Compared to a manual car with the same engine they all use more fuel. Automatic cars aren't able to predict the right gear they can only react blindly.
    Changing the world, one sarcastic comment at a time.
  • Iceweasel
    Iceweasel Posts: 4,706 Forumite
    First Anniversary Photogenic First Post Combo Breaker
    edited 5 May 2016 at 9:36PM
    stator wrote: »
    No, they all are. Compared to a manual car with the same engine they all use more fuel. Automatic cars aren't able to predict the right gear they can only react blindly.

    'Fraid not - a modern auto can be faster and more economical than the manual equivalent.

    Note that I'm saying can and not being so emphatic/dogmatic as your statement.

    Of course many were more thirsty and some still are.

    How could I prove it to you?

    Would you accept a Parker's article from 3 years ago?

    http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/advice/buying/2013/september/automatic-versus-manual/

    And things have moved on apace from then.

    How about this more recent article from Car Wow?

    https://www.carwow.co.uk/guides/choosing/Automatic-vs-manual-which-is-best

    or how about carbuyer from this January?

    http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/reviews/recommended/best-automatic-cars

    Please read some of the above and try not to be so dogmatic in the future.

    Edit: I forgot to add that when the autobox is linked to the sat-nav it can predict when gear-changes are needed for corners and downhills for example.

    Of course i accept that the OP will not find many, if any, of these clever autoboxes in the £2000 price range, but they do exist - it's just that you seemed to either not have heard of them or were denying their very existence.
  • facade
    facade Posts: 7,016 Forumite
    Name Dropper First Post First Anniversary
    bigjl wrote: »
    Do you mean with the Mk4 or mk5?

    Never heard of an issue like that with the mk4 and I drove them (1.8 Auto) for work for the best part of 7 years. They were a mix of X Reg, 51 Reg, 52 Reg, 03 Reg and 53 Reg.

    We had 2.0dti Zafiras with the 4speed and they never had that issue.

    The 1.9 CDTi Zafiras had a different 5 speed auto and that wasn't one of the issues they suffered with.

    No idea, just google "astra auto coolant gearbox" for an idea of the scale of the problem.

    I think it is the cheap radiator design. I'd have simply run a pipe through the lower tank of the radiator to carry the oil.
    I want to go back to The Olden Days, when every single thing that I can think of was better.....

    (except air quality and Medical Science ;))
  • bigjl
    bigjl Posts: 6,457 Forumite
    facade wrote: »
    No idea, just google "astra auto coolant gearbox" for an idea of the scale of the problem.

    I think it is the cheap radiator design. I'd have simply run a pipe through the lower tank of the radiator to carry the oil.

    So it's a cooler problem?

    The Astra will not be the first or last to have an issue with the gearbox cooler inside the radiator.

    It is a common issue on a Nissan Pathfinder. With a similar fix, a bypass pipe.

    Though that issue never affected my Pathfinder in the 3 years I owned it.
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