Small automatic transmissions with high mileage?

moonage

I don't know much about cars and would appreciate any comments.

I'm thinking of getting an automatic '00 Opel Astra 1.4L with nearly 100,000 miles. Would this be considered very high mileage for this car? Would an automatic transmission with this mileage be at the end of its life and prone to problems? (As I understand it, autos generally have a shorter lifespan to manuals and need more maintenance.)

Or, provided it's got a good service history and performs well on a test drive should I not be too worried about the mileage? If I did buy it I'd be only be doing a couple of thousand miles a year.

Alanstrainor

A little over 10,000 miles a year is about average, well below average really. I think the 1.4 in the astras are prone to head gasket failure, so keep on eye on that. I wouldn't think there's much of a difference in the reliability of the auto version and the manual, although i'm not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to 10 year old astras!

TomMc

While the mileage may not be high for the year, having owned a dozen or so autos, at the 100K mark they are prone to problems, especially autos in more humdrum transport. It is different in something like a Mercedes where they have perfected autos down the years and is the default transmission at this stage in all their cars. But in vehicles where autos only account for a tiny percentage of sales they tend to be underengineered or quite basic. When they go wrong, they are often uneconomical to repair - cost more than the car is worth.

If auto is what you want, plenty more to choose from. There would be a few around that have (previous) elderly or disabled owners that led a relatively sheltered life and have may be only 5k a year mileage. Look for something with 50K max for more peace of mind. Jap cars tend to have more reliable autoboxes than the Europeans, when you are talking about more mainstream cars. An original (well serviced Irish) Honda or Mitsubishi would be my recommendation, as Jap imports tend to get a hair-cut coming over on the boat.

moonage

Thanks for the advice, Tom. I'll look for something with lower mileage.

TomMc wrote: »

An original (well serviced Irish) Honda or Mitsubishi would be my recommendation, as Jap imports tend to get a hair-cut coming over on the boat.

What's a "hair-cut"? Should Jap imports generally be avoided?

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EPM

moonage wrote: »

What's a "hair-cut"? Should Jap imports generally be avoided?

The mileage is clocked backwards. If you give more details on your budget and what you want exactly you might get a few car suggestions;)

moonage

EPM wrote: »

If you give more details on your budget and what you want exactly you might get a few car suggestions;)

My budget is about E3,000.

It has to be an automatic, a small to medium sized engine and fairly compact.

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