I am thinking of getting an Automatic, any comments on the general reliability of Automatics ?

Question

Is a diesel Clio a suitable vehical to consider as an automatic ?

Answer 1

I had a diesel automatic Citroen Xantia for over ten years from new and did over 162000 miles. I also have an automatic turbo diesel Isuzu Trooper I have had for almost five years and it has done 700000 miles with no probs! Wouldn't have a manual in the SE of England if you paid me, and of course, I much prefer a diesel as they NEVER suffer from ignition problems in the wet!

Answer 2

A Clio isn't a good automatic, but I am sure that an Audi would be.
Automatics give you the privellage to be more 'free-handed' because you do not really need to use the gear stick. With an automatic you can move the gear stick and leave the car, without pressing the brake, when the car is stopped. It is much easier to operate and it gives a smoother ride.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Modern automatics are as reliable as manual boxes with clutches, these days. It you're buying new, no worries. If it's secondhand, check it goes into each gear without jerking, make sure the kickdown works, & listen out for any undue noises. If you can, wipe a tissue on the autobox's dipstick. The transmission fluid should be red & fairly clear, if it's mucky brown & smells 'burnt', walk away.
Dunno about buying a Clio, though, they're usually pretty unreliable cars.

Answer 4

Automatics are very reliable (they have been around for over 80 years).
Some of the plus sides :- No clutch plates to wear out.
Impossible to crunch gears.
Great in slow moving traffic
Some of the minus sides:- Fuel consumption higher
You can't resist using 'kick down'
Until you get used to automatics,
watch out for 'creep' when stopped
behind another vehicle

Answer 5

Diesel clios with automatic boxs suffer from electronic problems.The general reliability of automatics is good.

Answer 6

automatics can be as reliable as any other car as long as they ar looked after you do not say wether the car is used or new if used you do not know how the previous treated the car as they do tend to cost a little more to fix .
In answer to wether a clio is a suitable vehicle you chose what you want your the one who's going to drive it good luck !

Answer 7

modern automatic transmissions are a huge improvement on the early ones both in performance & reliability. The car is a matter of personal choice - I think the ease of driving an automatic outweighs any drawbacks for modern road conditions.

Answer 8

Automatics are very reliable. Owners tend to double park on yellow lines, block schools gates and drive through red lights whilst talking on their mobile phones. Also panic buy the bread at bank holidays.

Answer 9

Hired a Ford Focus automatic, beautiful car and as I had never driven an automatic before, it must have been very easy to drive. Loved it.

Answer 10

As far as transmissions go, one must first consider the areas and the terrain one will be driving in and around. First though, about trannies. The automatic has not one clutch, it has several(up to eight in some cars and trucks). It does have what's known as a sun gear as well as planetary gears. Plus valves, multiple seals, actuators and lots of stuff known as transmission fluid. Tranny fluid is not only flammable, it is also rather toxic! No smoking near one please! Plus, when you have to have work done to an automatic, the cost is fairly much so higher than for a manual due to the gross number of commponents. Manual trannies have one clutch, a gear shift(stick) lever, and multiple gears and what are known as syncronization gears for connecting gears 1-5(or more dependant on the type of transmission). This type of tranny is filled with motor oil, not transmission fluid(unless the manufacturers have changed the requirments since the last time I was in school for cars). The cost for working on a manual tranny is a lot cheaper and less time consuming too! Now, as to the type of transmission you may wish to consider. Oh yes, it doesn't matter the type of engine you have in what type of vehicle, it's all about the driving you'll be doing! First off, if you are going to be driving in the city a lot and doing many starts and stops, driving on slways smooth roadways, not going to be excelerating very fast all the time, and you have really bad hand eye co-ordination, and a lot of money for matenance and repairs plus a lot of money for gas, go for the automatic. If you'll be doing a lot of long distance driving, needing to accelarate quickly from stop to start, or driving the occasional off-road path and have good knees and hand-eye co-ordination and not a lot of money and really want to save on gas, please go for the manual tranny.