Automatic Cars for less than 1000?

TrickyWicky

s_b wrote: »

this is a money saving forum
not a money wasting forum
my advice is built on many many years of knowledge

Yes but the op specifically asked for advice for a car less than £1k. Wasting money or not, telling them to up the amount they're going to spend or not bother doesn't help anyone. There are plenty of reliable sub £1k automatics out there.

mikey72 wrote: »

What's that?
I've got a 20 year Renault with an auto that's still going strong.

I have a mate with a 3L 18 year old automatic renault and it's prone to gearbox problems however that being said, he's maintained it very keenly always changing its fluids on time etc and its still going strong with a 0-60 of 6.5 iirc. We've also got two 14 year old auto renaults. I can certainly think of other brands that I'd avoid with their dodgy autoboxes - ford, VW, audi etc. These *tronic gearboxes that they've been bringing out are ok when new but I've heard of a good number of people grumbling at the repair costs as they age.

mikey72

You can't beat the old three speed gearboxes with a torque converter.

TrickyWicky

I've never been in a *tronic gearbox powered car only torque convertor powered autos but what I will say is that the ride is so much smoother than a manual. I never realised until I switched to an automatic but the gear changes and ride quality is so much nicer than the petrol 'jolt' when the clutch pedal comes back up. Autos are also nicer in traffic jams.

Weird_Nev

TrickyWicky wrote: »

I've never been in a *tronic gearbox powered car only torque convertor powered autos but what I will say is that the ride is so much smoother than a manual. I never realised until I switched to an automatic but the gear changes and ride quality is so much nicer than the petrol 'jolt' when the clutch pedal comes back up. Autos are also nicer in traffic jams.

Eerrr, learn to rev match and a bit of clutch control would be my advice! Manual gear shifts can (and often should) be imperceptible!

TrickyWicky

Weird_Nev wrote: »

Eerrr, learn to rev match and a bit of clutch control would be my advice! Manual gear shifts can (and often should) be imperceptible!

Lol! You know that, I know that and most 'decent' drivers know that but there will always be the few out there that either don't give a damn or they just don't understand how to drive.

My OH is a bit dappy with the clutch, knows what its for and when to use it but never brings it up smoothly (needless to say its now slowly going). I also had a colleague years ago, ultra confident about everything he did, everyone seemed to love and adore him yet his clutch control was so bad that his driving was scary because the works van was always jolting when he brought the clutch up. You'd think that someone so perfect would master the clutch wouldn't you? :rotfl:

Used to have a renault years ago with an easy change system. You could simply pull it out of gear and into the next as long as you did it within half a second (try going from 2nd to 3rd or 4th to 5th lol) the gearbox would perform black magic to help it into gear supposedly.

Still prefer autos though, far, far smoother gear changes and a lot less for you to concentrate on while driving. While I do enjoy driving, manuals are ok for control but automatics just make driving a pleasant experience again.

robbies_gal

i have a polo 54 plate and the auto gearbox has had no probs so far touch wood

Paul_the_Painter

Slightly (very!) left field, but I bought a 1995 Lexus LS400 about a 18months ago for £900. Spent about £500 on servicing, rear shocks and a new battery since then, but I do waft about in comfort. 4litres of petrol powered V8 does use a lot of fuel mind you!

I'll put it in for it's next MOT, but if the cost to pass is more then £400 - it's off to the scrapyard - which in my mind is the attidute to have at this price point - Always think about how much it will cost for another years motoring.

TrickyWicky

Paul_the_Painter wrote: »

I'll put it in for it's next MOT, but if the cost to pass is more then £400 - it's off to the scrapyard - which in my mind is the attidute to have at this price point - Always think about how much it will cost for another years motoring.

While you say that, I'm of the opposite opinion. It's better the devil you know than the devil you don't. I'd rather pay the money and get it fixed rather than spend out twice as much on another car and then have to make repairs to that within a month or two. It's easy to buy a replacement car and then end up being sunk for more money in repairs that the seller kept quiet about.

petrolhead69

old merc? my 230e was bombproof, comfy and surprisingly not bad on petrol. still see it going around from time to time.

Lum

TrickyWicky wrote: »

I never realised until I switched to an automatic but the gear changes and ride quality is so much nicer than the petrol 'jolt' when the clutch pedal comes back up.

This is only true, when the auto is combined with a larger engine. When it's hooked up to a little 1.4 engine that needs a good thrashing in order to get anywhere the gear changes are a lot harsher. I've driven a few low power autos, that 1.3 Corolla I mentioned as well as a few automatic hire cars, most commonly a Corsa 1.4 auto.

They work, don't get me wrong, but on a low power engine a manual (plus competent driver) is a lot more comfortable than an auto.

Not sure what the OPs budget is for running costs, mileage etc. but something with a larger lazy engine (minimum 1.8 for petrol, 2.0 for diesel, preferably not turbocharged unless it's a diesel) is likely to be available in better condition and for cheaper because of the worse fuel consumption meaning nobody wants them.

Autos are also nicer in traffic jams.

Can't argue with that