Originally Posted By: Eric Smith
Bullet proof is a fallacy.. a friend blew up the AW4 in his Jeep so it's possible. There's 3 things that kill auto transmission's.. poor design, poor maintenance and driving like a fool. One alone may not kill a auto quick but 2 factors sure can.
Anything is possible - but they hold up to absolute torture off road. I have rocked mine back and fourth, hard, for 10 minutes straight before while stuck in the snow while trying to go 100 yards through snow up to the head lights. I stopped because I was afraid of snapping an axle u joint. There are people who beat up on them even harder than I do and they juts last. The occasional failure happens.
Originally Posted By: IndyIan
Originally Posted By: Eric Smith
I'd rather rebuild a automatic than drive a manual.. Oh wait I've never had to! A few clutches though! Manuals is cheaper is the biggest piece of bologna floating around the net!
We've never had to fix either one, but did save $1k+ by getting a manual on a new car, and a bit here and there on the used ones.
That was a factor, too. If I can save $1000 by shifting myself - it's a no brainer.
Originally Posted By: Eric Smith
I'd rather rebuild a automatic than drive a manual.. Oh wait I've never had to! A few clutches though! Manuals is cheaper is the biggest piece of bologna floating around the net!
They are more fun to drive. And when you own products with Toyota transmissions, it's probably a wash (Toyota generally makes a good transmission). However, the transmission in your escape is far from reliable - as is the automatic transmission that came in my Focus. I don't trust ford front wheel drive automatic transmissions, or *any* Chrysler automatic transmission. If I could have found a corolla in my price range with a 4 speed auto, I would have been more inclined to get the auto.
