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Post by davethepirate on Jun 17, 2012 19:35:35 GMT
Evening
I am going to see an automatic japanese import mini at the weekend, i do not know the exact year but its one of the newer ones. It has been offered to me by a friend of a friend. I was looking for a manual one but i am going to take a look at this also.
Could someone please explain the good and bad points of manual Vs automatic?
Thanks
Graham
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Post by asahartz on Jun 17, 2012 23:00:11 GMT
On this forum you will find that most are fans of the automatic!
I drive a manual Mini as a daily driver, but I have driven my auto Elf as a daily too. I like autos in general and have a Volvo auto as family bus and towcar.
The auto is surprisingly quick off the line, though tends to lose out a bit later. Having said that, I understand the Jap spec cars are tweaked for extra power.
The downside to the auto is that the box is considered a little fragile, though experts say that it is just as strong as the manual Mini box. The problem really is that if anything does go wrong with the box, there are very few specialist mechanics who know how to repair them. There is, however, plenty of expertise on this forum.
The auto box in the Mini is quite unusual, for its age at least, in being capable of being used as a clutchless manual - you can change manually if you wish. This is not uncommon in modern cars, such as the Tiptronic system, and our Volvo has the same facility, but when first fitted in the Mini it was revolutionary.
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Post by shoutforjoy on Jun 19, 2012 7:06:41 GMT
The only real difference between autos and manuals is the clutch and gear changes! Otherwise they're very much the same. I find that most people prefer manuals simply out of personal choice, in the same way that we sell many more manual cars than autos of every other make in the UK. Needless to say on this forum I'm a bit of an automatic fan. So I 'll give some of the plusses  Automatic Minis tend to have lower mileage and be in better condition than their manual counterparts. They are also a bit cheaper to buy - but not as much as some people claim. And the insurance is cheaper. Usually they are quite original and unmolested. A blank canvas that you can customise and personalise in the same way as manuals. You can also make most of the same performance upgrades. If the boxes are maintained properly they do not appear to be as fragile as people claim. Mine has just had a first autobox rebuild after more than 25 years. Rebuilds can be expensive because of the time it takes and the parts used and are not DIY jobs for the feint-hearted - you need to be an advanced DIYer to tackle it yourself. I see you're talking about a jap-spec Mini. If I remember correctly these come with air-conditioning. This can be a bit of pain where maintenance is concerned as there's precious little space in the engine bay. Start with an open mind and have a test drive in each before you choose. |
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