manual or triptronic what too buy

[richard_v6]

Hi every1. I will have about £5000 to spend on a legnum within the next couple of weeks. i have a v6 manual galant at mo .i want to know which is more reliable a manual or triptronic
I quite like the idea of having a triptronic has i have read it learns your style of driving .
the thing that im not too sure about is
can i select all 5 gears manualy or just 3 like most others
will triptronic box change quick enough {ie quicker than a human}
are the triptronic gearbox's reliable
is there any bad points i should look out 4
is it best to buy1 that has been in country for while ie not first owner in country I think thats all the questions i have a moment
ps hope to be a legnum owner very soon i going up to ebony&ivory on the weekend to have a brouse. All replies will be very much
appreciated

[Axeboy]

Do a quick search mate... lots of debate.

I have a manual, but id have another auto no problem.

I think the auto is nicer to drive, but the manual is better for more power. Thats my opinion though.

[Nick Mann]

Try a search on the site as most of these points have been covered very extensively.

A manual will allow you to get more power to the road. An auto will give predictable and reliable results.
You can pick the gear you want in tiptronic mode, within reason. You can't select 5th at 25mph, for example, or 1st at 40mph.
The auto box should outlast the clutch in a manual several times over, but you must make sure it is serviced and maintained properly.
Are you in Redditch? I seem to remember that I saw you a Tescos once? If so, send me a PM and you could arrange to have a looky at mine - I'll try and show you things to look out for.

[bradc]

You can select any gear you want depending on speed. ie you can't select 5th gear below 60kmh, and you can't select 1st unless you are basically at a standstill. They do change gears fairly quickly too.

The tip boxes aren't as reliable as the manuals, but if they are serviced correctly they are normally fairly good.

There aren't many bad points on them, other than to watch out for the gearbox and the AYC diff.

[DefeXion]

but if they are serviced correctly


...and if they arn't thrashed too much. The more you thrash it, the more uneasy the gearshifts seem to become. Something to do with the torque converter maybe? I'm not great with technical stuff yet.

I thrashed mine pretty hard for a while, and one day something went clunk. I stopped, started to do a three point turn to go home, shifted into reverse, gave it some gas, and the engine revved to 5k before reverse engaged. more clunking occured and I barely made it back to my house which was 100 metres up the road.

Then 4 grand later... Thank God for warranties.

The tiptronic is still an awesome gearbox. You just have to treat it nice like I didn't :). I hear the 1998 autos were indestructible though.