Old automatic cars

[Accy cyclist]

Following on from my question about sunroofs and roof racks i have another question about the car. The car i'm interested in is a 1997 Honda Civic automatic. A few have told me that automatics are very heavy on fuel and gearbox repairs and replacements are very expensive, Seeing as i'd be using it for short start stop journeys would it use a lot of fuel and is an 18 year old automatic gearbox a bit of a gamble?

 

[MarkF]

I only drive auto's and they've always been old, newest was a1997 Jeep Cherokee that I bought 5 years ago, never had a problem on any car's autobox.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I only drive auto's and they've always been old, newest was a1997 Jeep Cherokee that I bought 5 years ago, never had a problem on any car's autobox.

Not heavy on fuel then?

 

[Profpointy]

Following on from my question about sunroofs and roof racks i have another question about the car. The car i'm interested in is a 1997 Honda Civic automatic. A few have told me that automatics are very heavy on fuel and gearbox repairs and replacements are very expensive, Seeing as i'd be using it for short start stop journeys would it use a lot of fuel and is an 18 year old automatic gearbox a bit of a gamble?

I think any car is a gamble, but an 18 year old car is likely a low cost wager even if higher risk. Maybe an auto is a bit more dodgy than a manual and less practical to simply replace if problems arise - but total condition is more important - though personally I can't bear autos. Let's say the car's £1500 - if it lasts 3 months it's not the end of the world, and after maybe 6 months you're "in profit" so to speak. The tricky point is when the £1500 car gets a £1500 bill or even a £2000 bill. It can be worth paying as you've now got a car with a new gearbox or whatever.

I bought a £2k 10 year old Saab 5 or 6 years back - I still have it. Probably depreciated by £30k over its first 70,000 miles - and maybe another £1k over the subsequent 50,000 miles I've had. I've not been afraid to spend money on it each year - but so far within reason.

Buy a good un and old cars can be incredibly good deals. You do need to be Ok with the risk of having to scrap it which would be galling after 2 weeks. But this is not the disaster it would be for a £10k dud of course

 

[threebikesmcginty]

If you've got to drive, why would you drive anything other than an automatic?

 

[Profpointy]

If you've got to drive, why would you drive anything other than an automatic?

umm, because they are horrid, particularly for small cars.

Grudgingly I'll concede they're Ok in modern big posh cars, but I still dislike em.

 

[Accy cyclist]

They're asking 500 quid for the car. Is this too much?

 

[welsh dragon]

Automatic gear boxes are just as reliable as manual. I had an auto jeep for 13 years. Never had a problem with the gear box. May be slightly heavier on petrol but not much.

if you buy a car for £1500, then you can't really complain if it goes wrong after 12 months. With any car you buy second hand, there are no guarantees. Hell even brand new cars can be real lemons. Ive heard some horror stories of new cars that spend more time in the garage being repaired than they do on the road.

basically, you pays your money and make your choice. I like autos.

 

[Profpointy]

They're asking 500 quid for the car. Is this too much?

If it's in working order with long mot that's rock bottom price for any car. If it's ropey then you don't want it all I guess

 

[Globalti]

If you pay £500 and get more than a year out of it, you're winning. An auto will save you lots of stress in traffic.

 

[Brandane]

If you've got to drive, why would you drive anything other than an automatic?

Because, they ................

are very heavy on fuel and gearbox repairs and replacements are very expensive,

Modern ones are better, but IME older automatics are a PITA to drive .... There is a fractional lag between wanting it to move off, and it actually moving. Very disconcerting when going for the gap on a busy roundabout, for example. Can't see the attraction of automatics TBH..

 

[vickster]

I only drive automatics these days due to a ropey left knee. My current car is pretty economical for the performance (skoda Fabia VRS estate), about 35mpg from super UL but I don't do many miles (under 5k a year) so it doesn't really matter. The supercharger and turbo, combined with DSG box means it moves as soon as the loud pedal is pressed. However, it's not a £500 18 year old motor

I had an issue with the DSG box on a 4 year old Golf GTI. Luckily I hadn't had the car that long (under 6 months) and managed to get the dealer/warranty company to cover the cost. Luckily as the bill wasn't far off £2k

£500 sounds like cheap motoring even if it goes pop after 12 months. You could offer £400-450 and see what they say. Dealer or private?

 

[Brandane]

If it's a 1997 automatic Honda Civic it's probably only been driven 200 yards to the shops each day by someone's granddad. At £500 I'd risk it.

Which probably makes it an even bigger risk due to having never warmed up properly. Short journeys are notoriously bad for a car; I'd rather take my chances with something that's been up and down the nations motorways on a daily basis.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I only drive automatics these days due to a ropey left knee. My current car is pretty economical for the performance (skoda Fabia VRS estate), about 35mpg from super UL but I don't do many miles (under 5k a year) so it doesn't really matter. The supercharger and turbo, combined with DSG box means it moves as soon as the loud pedal is pressed. However, it's not a £500 18 year old motor

I had an issue with the DSG box on a 4 year old Golf GTI. Luckily I hadn't had the car that long (under 6 months) and managed to get the dealer/warranty company to cover the cost. Luckily as the bill wasn't far off £2k

£500 sounds like cheap motoring even if it goes pop after 12 months. You could offer £400-450 and see what they say. Dealer or private?

It's a private sale. I know the bloke selling it, he's serviced it regularly,it's his mum's car.

 

[vickster]

It's a private sale. I know the bloke selling it, he's serviced it regularly,it's his mum's car.

Sounds a good buy, although no guarantees obviously (you just need a balaclava to maintain your street cred while driving it )