# looking at buying an all raod auto VS manual



## Busted Fox WaGeN (Jun 25, 2008)

i got my eyes on an 02 allroad with the 2.7t but its an automatic, i know older vw's like the mk3 vr6 the auto tranny was GARBAGE!!!! im not lookin to mod the car maybe a drop in filter and exhaust, but i mainly want a daily with more room than my mk5 rabbit...

so are the auto trannys any good?


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## pendulum (Apr 29, 2001)

*Re: looking at buying an all raod auto VS manual (Busted Fox WaGeN)*

depends what you define as "good" i guess.
i have an '02 auto and it works just fine in everyday driving. shifts are on a slight delay, but that's always been the case with VAG autos, no difference there. you might be surprised at the fact this car actually gets up and moves, unlike most VW autos.
as far as service problems, these cars have been known to have an o-ring in the torque converters fail requiring a TC rebuild - that can get pricey. i just had mine done at 60k miles, cost me almost $2k. other than that i've had no tranny issues.


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## Busted Fox WaGeN (Jun 25, 2008)

*Re: looking at buying an all raod auto VS manual (BabyFoodYellowGTI)*

as for good i mean, longevity of the tranny i now there is less to go wrong with a manual, i would rather have a manual but i got a very good offer with an automatic, are there any signs for the leaking torque converter? like noticing a slipping shift?


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## pendulum (Apr 29, 2001)

*Re: looking at buying an all raod auto VS manual (Busted Fox WaGeN)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Busted Fox WaGeN* »_as for good i mean, longevity of the tranny i now there is less to go wrong with a manual, i would rather have a manual but i got a very good offer with an automatic, are there any signs for the leaking torque converter? like noticing a slipping shift?

no, nothing like that from what i've seen or experienced. just get a CEL, if you run the scan with a VAG-COM it points it out. doesn't affect normal driveability. from what i was told by my mechanic, its an o-ring that fails within the TC.... the repurcussions from this failure incite an unwillingness of the car to go into "overdrive" (i'm guessing using high gear) on the highway... so it will just affect your mpg during travelling on highways. that's about it. if it isn't taken care of, it will leak into the TC and eventually it will fail... as far as timeline for that, i have no idea. i had the issue for about 2 months before i addressed it, my mechanic said his friend had the same problem in his A6 2.7t and he has gone for over a year, not replacing it yet.... so i don't think you _have_ to, but if you don't like CELs on and want better mpg, you'd probably best be served to fix that IF it comes up. it's also not guaranteed you will have this problem, keep in mind...
as far as longevity of the tranny, i can't say as people haven't been reporting this... i have a friend who has an ar in florida, he has 120k on his original tranny, and another friend with 95k in colorado, and a friend in tx with 105k.... so i'm guessing no better or worse than what you'd normally expect for auto VAG transmissions.
i will say this - if you want a manual, GET a manual. i can't imagine the deal is as good as you *think* it is on this car. allroads have crap for resale value due to high maintenance/repair costs. what you might think is a deal might just be market price. how good was/is the deal?


_Modified by BabyFoodYellowGTI at 1:46 PM 10-24-2008_


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## Busted Fox WaGeN (Jun 25, 2008)

*Re: looking at buying an all raod auto VS manual (BabyFoodYellowGTI)*

http://norfolk.craigslist.org/ctd/886541065.html
i get a loan from my bank for $9500 give the dealer that for the allroad, they will take in my mk5 rabbit and pay off the loan on it, and in turn giveng me lower monthly payment and having a bigger car with more room which is also what i want
it seems ok to me, since i cant get any hits on my rabbit FS and there is another allroad locally with a 6 speed for $12000 buts its a private seller


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## Busted Fox WaGeN (Jun 25, 2008)

*Re: looking at buying an all raod auto VS manual (Busted Fox WaGeN)*

test drove the auto, runs amazing, shifts just fine through all the gears, doesnt have as much get up as i thought it wold but has plenty of room, so somone buy my rabbit so i can go buy this car


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## pendulum (Apr 29, 2001)

*Re: looking at buying an all raod auto VS manual (Busted Fox WaGeN)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Busted Fox WaGeN* »_test drove the auto, runs amazing, shifts just fine through all the gears, doesnt have as much get up as i thought it wold but has plenty of room, so somone buy my rabbit so i can go buy this car









hmmm.... love that color of the allroad, but i'd stay away from an 105k-mile version of this car with no warranty. unless they bundle it with some _bumper to bumper_ warranty, stay away. The only caveat to this is if it has complete service history and you can see that replacement of the air suspension or turbos has already been done. if it hasn't, you are in for some serious repair bills in the near future.
there's a reason that car is cheap, just keep that in mind.
i love my allroad, but i found a low-mileage one to help defray the timeline of the repair costs.








as far as power, you can chip the car and get it over 300+ horsepower with just the chip, so no worries there. my car makes plenty of power for me. just be wary that with that mileage, you'd need to keep an eye on those turbos if you chip it.


_Modified by BabyFoodYellowGTI at 1:30 PM 10-27-2008_


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## Busted Fox WaGeN (Jun 25, 2008)

*Re: looking at buying an all raod auto VS manual (BabyFoodYellowGTI)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BabyFoodYellowGTI* »_
hmmm.... love that color of the allroad, but i'd stay away from an 105k-mile version of this car with no warranty. unless they bundle it with some _bumper to bumper_ warranty, stay away. The only caveat to this is if it has complete service history and you can see that replacement of the air suspension or turbos has already been done. if it hasn't, you are in for some serious repair bills in the near future.
there's a reason that car is cheap, just keep that in mind.
i love my allroad, but i found a low-mileage one to help defray the timeline of the repair costs.








as far as power, you can chip the car and get it over 300+ horsepower with just the chip, so no worries there. my car makes plenty of power for me. just be wary that with that mileage, you'd need to keep an eye on those turbos if you chip it.

_Modified by BabyFoodYellowGTI at 1:30 PM 10-27-2008_


thanks for all the info ill swing bu the place and see about the maitnence history http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif


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## pendulum (Apr 29, 2001)

*Re: looking at buying an all raod auto VS manual (Busted Fox WaGeN)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Busted Fox WaGeN* »_
thanks for all the info ill swing bu the place and see about the maitnence history http://****************.com/smile/emthup.gif 

no problem.








please do, and please be a very diligent shopper on this one. i would wholly recommend an allroad but only under the conditions that is is low-miles, very-well documented repair history, or (preferably) both.


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## Busted Fox WaGeN (Jun 25, 2008)

*Re: looking at buying an all raod auto VS manual (BabyFoodYellowGTI)*


_Quote, originally posted by *BabyFoodYellowGTI* »_
no problem.








please do, and please be a very diligent shopper on this one. i would wholly recommend an allroad but only under the conditions that is is low-miles, very-well documented repair history, or (preferably) both.

understood, carfax shows it as an one owner car its imaculate inside and out!!!! no wears even on the driver seats! the guy said it was owned by an elder couple so i can only hope the dealer did all the services if it has then ill be buying it


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## pendulum (Apr 29, 2001)

*Re: looking at buying an all raod auto VS manual (Busted Fox WaGeN)*


_Quote, originally posted by *Busted Fox WaGeN* »_
understood, carfax shows it as an one owner car its imaculate inside and out!!!! no wears even on the driver seats! the guy said it was owned by an elder couple so i can only hope the dealer did all the services if it has then ill be buying it

things to look for on the service history:
* turbos - have they ever been serviced or replaced? if not, better factor that in your budget
* air suspension - has this been replaced? if not, this will invariably go at some point, costing you thousands.
* torque converter - as i said, prone to failure... did this get replaced or rebuilt?
* belts - seems common sense, but seriously, you'd be surprised.
lastly post pics when you get it if you do! seriously, i would inquire about a warranty (if that dealer sells aftermarket warranties). you might be best served to buy an extended warranty and roll it into your loan


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