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Originally Posted by ward
yup, there's no possible way to abuse an automatic,
Plus they're so simple to work on and have so few moving parts they are actuall much more durable than a manual transmission. BMW automatic tranny's never fail at 80,000 miles
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Ward, I have to beg to differ with you here.
Try this: (one of my infamous "try this" comments).
Stop on a steep hill pointing uphill. Put the car in reverse. Floor it. When you are going about 35 mph backwards, slam the transmission into drive and keep the accelerator floored. If the hill is steep enough, you can go through a set of tires in one try, and cause some serious damage to your tranny! Or, just put it in neutral, floor it, and then slam it into drive. Or, just don't let it come to a stop completely when you are backing up next time and drop it into drive. All these are bad for the automatic. The first one is a lot of fun, and I used to do this to rental cars. (just kidding).
The manual transmission is much simpler mechanically also, and they are MUCH cheaper to replace/repair later on. If you are not under warranty, you don't want an auto. Theres only the clutch, flywheel, and throwout bearing that are really wear items, and the flywheel really doesn't ever need replacement, just resurfacing. If a manual transmission fails at 80,000 miles, it's most likely the clutch. If you don't abuse your clutch, and you have proper technique, the clutch can last 200,000 miles. In my 1983 GTI, the clutch (and transmission) was still fine at 160,000 miles, and I drove that car HARD. (And it was a lowly VW!).
Idjuts are Idjuts, whether they drive a manual or an automatic.