sb@cvl.UUCP (Babu Srinivasan) (04/26/84)
I prefer Automatic Transmission over Manual.
This is especially true when there are lots of ups and downs
and lots of STOP signs.
When my friends and I were discussing about
Japanese and American cars all of them concurred on one point.
They said that Americans have perfected? Automatic Transmission
while Japanese have perfected? Manual Transmission.
In other words they said that if you want to buy a Japanese car,
buy one with Manual Transmission.
I would like to know from people who own Jap. cars
equipped with Auto. Transmission (are there any out there?!)
about any problems they had because of that. Will they buy another
Jap. Car with Auto. Transmission ?
I am not worried about the increased gas consumption
in an Auto. Transmission car, nor the $600 or $700 that I have
to pay to get it.
While on the topic of Transmissions let me ask one
question. How does the "Unique Hill Holder" feature in the Subaru
work ?knutson@ut-ngp.UUCP (04/26/84)
We bought an '83 Toyota Camry that has a automatic transmission. I have
hated small cars with automatics ever since I can remember but the
ride in the Camry was so good that I couldn't pass it up. It has a
very smooth shift for motoring around, but will snap your neck in
the power shift range when you romp on it. It has an overdrive with
lockup for gas mileage and 3 push button computer controlled shift
ranges (Economy, Normal, and Power). I'm very pleased with the
engineering.
--
Jim Knutson
ARPA: knutson@ut-ngp
UUCP: {ihnp4,seismo,kpno,ctvax}!ut-sally!ut-ngp!knutsonhrs@houxb.UUCP (H.SILBIGER) (04/26/84)
Because most Japanese and other small cars use 3-speed automatics as opposed to 5-speed manuals, they tend to have poorer acceleration, poorer gas mileage, and be much noisier at highway speeds due to unnecessarily high engine RPM's. I have a Mazda 626 '81 which suffers from all of the above. It's a very comfortable and extremely reliable car otherwise.
lute@abnjh.UUCP (J. Collymore) (04/27/84)
I am on my third Mazda, a 1984 626 sedan with auto-transmission. My previous two were Mazda GLC station wagons, also with auto-trans. I have had no problems with the Mazda A/T at all (knock on wood), and as you can see, I am a faithful Mazda buyer. If you want to get into a lot of mechanical jargon, maybe you'll find something to be dissatisfied about in their A/T compared to American cars. But I am not a mechanic, and I only look for the things (and learn from experience) that any informed consumer wwould when looking for new cars'. I have no reservations (at this point) about Japanese cars A/T's. Also, you should be aware that an A/T on the majority of Japanese imports is more in the range of $300-$450, not $600-$700. To get a better feel for this you might want to see if you can still get a copy of the April 1984 Consumer Reports magazine on the 1984 cars. If you can't find it on newstands, try your local library. Jim Collymore