5 speed or automatic?

[jaggedfish]

I've been thru this site and have found it incredibly informative thus far. What I haven't seen is... what you all think on manual vs auto trans.

I have an opportunity to buy a nice 5 speed Delica but have seen a few REALLY nice vans with auto trans which has caused me to second guess myself. I was wondering if anyone knows how the top-end revs compare on the highway between the 2 as well as fuel economy and "off-roadability".

If both trannys were readily available, what would your choice be?

Thanks all!

[delicat]

I was surprised to read that the automatic are better on the hwy (lower rpm) than the 5 speeds. I too was considering the 5 spd for what I thought would give me better fuel mileage but changed my mind for an auto. Some people prefer the 5 spd for offroad... Your choice.

[DelicaMark]

Check out this post...http://www.delica.ca/forum/standard-or-auto-1368.html. It should help you out.

-Mark

[jaggedfish]

Thank you for pointing that out DelicaMark! Must've selectively overlooked that one. Some good info there. Evidently the trans combinations are application specific. If you off-road and don't use the highway much, the standard is the one but if you are a regular highway commuter that wants to get to work on time - altho, who would in a Delica? - and have reasonable fuel economy, the automatic is much better.

Interesting because past experience (with other vehicles) dictated the 5 speed was the right choice for commuting. Perhaps the Delica's rally roots are the reason for this.

[Schwa]

So far I've seen more people complaining of issues with manual trannies and clutches than auto tranny problems, so it seems they are reasonably reliable, and I think I read somewhere that they were used on Jeeps at one point.