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Got a little bored reading some of the posters that showed their age.
Debating the issue of stick or auto tranny today is going to end up on some deaf ears.
Lets face it...some of us old timers grew up before the auto tranny was introduced in the early 1940's.
Most of the younger folks may or may not have had any exposure to the old stick 3 speed.
As for me...I cut my teeth on a car with 3 pedALS on the floor...one was not a gas pedal. There are a couple here that know what I am referring too...no big deal, just the time period.
Anyway...as we get older with health issues and depending on the part of the country a person lives in there is the choice/need of the stick or auto.
It is amazing how many auto transmissions will last even when not checked regularly. If an automatic transmission is built right (and not abused) they will typically last a long time.
You're right, automatics will last a very long time. All New York and Chicago taxis are automatics. Taxi fleet owners know that automatics are the cheaper option. For city driving, you can't beat an automatic, both for ease of use and lower maintenance.
You're right, automatics will last a very long time. All New York and Chicago taxis are automatics. Taxi fleet owners know that automatics are the cheaper option. For city driving, you can't beat an automatic, both for ease of use and lower maintenance.
I am not an automatic transmission expert, but by using logic... how can a system become more reliable by adding more parts and increasing the complexity to do same task?
The point, however, is the continued misguided notion of WHY consumers wanted automatics, and it wasn't due to laziness. Simply put, dealers orderd them due to making more money off of them, consumers bought them as they were easier to resell later, at a higher price point. Resale value has been beaten into our heads for a long time, not primarily by car manufacturers, but by journalists and economic advisors. You and I both watched it happen decades ago.
They wouldn't be easier to sell nor would they sell at a higher price point if there wasn't demand for them. And when there isn't demand for them, they don't sell as well. Shop used WRXs for instance, and when you find one that's priced too good to be true, there's a very good chance it's an automatic. In fact Subaru got the message and dropped the automatic option altogether.
Last edited by Drover; 03-31-2011 at 10:34 PM..
Reason: addendum
I am not an automatic transmission expert, but by using logic... how can a system become more reliable by adding more parts and increasing the complexity to do same task?
Because if something is well-engineered and produced, it can be reliable even if it's more complex.
I am not an automatic transmission expert, but by using logic... how can a system become more reliable by adding more parts and increasing the complexity to do same task?
By using logic, why would taxi fleet owners in large American cities overwhelmingly choose automatic transmissions over manual? They know their business and they have their maintenance records at hand. Do you think they care about the comfort of their drivers? Phfft! They choose automatics over manuals because they have the lowest maintenance cost. It's not a question of more parts and increasing complexity; it's a question of economics, proven over hundreds of thousands of miles of city driving. Follow the smart money.
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You abuse it, you lose it.
