Club 80-90 Forums

In my search for my first T25 i have come across one with an automatic box. I have never owned an auto so unsure how this affects, value, perfomance, insurance etc. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

nice to drive, a bit more thirsty, and use brake components quicker than manual, starter motors AND BATTERYS need to be goos ( cant bump start) make you lazy!

They are not common over here but the lazy yankees have had them for years.
from what I have read on the samba they are nearly similar on performance and economy... and the 2.1i version is better than the 1.9

As for value I couldn't say within the T25 models... suffice to say autos are a little cheaper generally.

Automatic

Pros ...
you can pop a brick on accelerator and make a cup of tea in the back of van
you can paint your toenails on your left foot whilst driving
you can roll a fag with both hands because you are not using a gear lever
easier to make mobile phone calls using your toes

cons...
No where to drap flowers around as no gear lever
More concentration needed when in slow moving traffic
You get pins and needles in left leg from sitting on it

Disclaimer
Please do not try any of the above whilst at home/in van

Flibbertigibbet wrote:Automatic

Pros ...
you can pop a brick on accelerator and make a cup of tea in the back of van

Mine has cruise control too great fun, till the bloody thing drops out

Seriously.
I love my auto. (I was very anti auto till I bought it)
Great in slow moving traffic.

T

At a guess I'd say alittle more thristy round town (but then Torquay is a killer nothing but hills or Tors) around the same on a run.

I wish my permanent van had one it makes these a lot more chilled drive, got both at mo and the auto is so much more relaxing!!!

i love mine.didnt think i would like it.but i do.its a 2.1 injection and lpg'd.im saying no more as im off down south for a week.and dont want to give myself the kiss of death...

Cheers guys.


and Flibbertigibbet

.

kevtherev wrote:They are not common over here but the lazy yankees have had them for years.
.

Ouch, that smarts!

Yes, autos are farily common here even more so than power windows, power mirrors, powersteering, powerlocks, and cruise control.

Out of the 30+ T25's I've owned, the autos have always been a favorite for driving in San Francisco traffic. They are more durable than the 4-spd and 5-spd models but can be prone to seal failures when used in higher horsepower applications. For the most part, they are bullet proof in the stock application. Extra power requires extra cooling. I converted my 4-spd Doublecab to auto specifically for city driving. Not to worry as I have a few others which are manual. Fuel economy does suffer. I estimate about 1-3 MPG worse than the comparable manual trans van. Acceleration is not as good as the manual either.

However, it is the perfect transmission for many turbo applications. It's not a modern version with a lock-up torque converter and only has 3-speeds. In my experience, it is very happy with a 2.2 Subaru turbo motor behind it. It did require the additon of a large transmission cooler to preseve the seals. Plus pairing down the governor to alter the shift points. The nice thing is you can stand on the throttle w/o letting up. The turbo never has to re-spool between shifts as in a manual.

Hey, no more broken 3rd & 4th gear sliders!

Autos rock

anyone fancy a spin in ours is more than welcome

I prefer my auto to my previous manual, very smooth change and very nice lazy drive.

BenT wrote:

kevtherev wrote:They are not common over here but the lazy yankees have had them for years.
.

Ouch, that smarts!

sorry ben

you lot just wanna look cool.. I guess stick shifting is rather uncool

Have you converted to a subaru then?
Was the converter housing easy to marry?

kevtherev wrote: sorry ben

you lot just wanna look cool.. I guess stick shifting is rather uncool

Have you converted to a subaru then?
Was the converter housing easy to marry?

Kev,

The nice thing about living in a place where T25's (Vanagons in this case) are common, is they are very affordable. I have thinned the fleet to the following:

1989 Syncro 16 Doublecab - 5-speed of course with 1.9TD AAZ
1988 2wd Doublecab - still 2.1 WBX but added PS and converted to auto
1985 Syncro Doublecab - 5-speed with 2.1 WBX
1984 Vanagon GL - auto trans with Subaru 2.2 turbo
1985 Vanagon GL - auto trans with 1.9 WBX

I had 14 of them at one time but maintenance cost was getting ridiculous. Yes, the Subaru just needs an adapter plate to mate to the auto in a T25. You need to grind way part of the weight on the governor so the shift points are higher plus add a larger transmission oil cooler. Other than that, it's very happy.

Not to worry. I haven't given up shifting. I just prefer them in my sportier rides. In fact aside from the above, only 3 of my 9 remaining vehicles have autos and only because that was the only way they came.

I live near one of the most congested highways in the US. Your clutch foot would get plenty of exercise if you drove the daily commute over the San Francisco Bay Bridge -- unless you a have an auto.

Besides that we have more room to drive here. You could literally drive the entire day and nto be able to get from one end of California to the other. Yeah I know the State is only 770 miles long but the highway winds around. Everywhere in between will be pockets of heavy traffic. You'll be thankful you don't have a clutch pedal then. Imagine having to do this from one end of this Country to the other. That's some 2600 miles as the crow flies. Umm... your calf (on the one above the clutch foot) would look like our Governator's after a San Francisco to New York run.

Cheers,