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Summary - Avoid French or Italian - Stick with Petrol or Petrol Hybrid - Avoid semi autos - Avoid CVT - Avoid twin clutch Brands/cars that are ok - BMW 1, 3 or 5 series - Honda accord, Cr-v, Jazz (gearbox may need a service). Early civics are fine. Avoid iShift gearbox - Ford Fiesta, focus, mondeo but avoid later ones. Recommended are 06/07 focus. Make sure fiesta doesn't have powershift/durashift - Jaguar X/S type but it has a massive engine, 18-20 mpg - Jeep Cherokee but it has high running costs - Kia ceed, venga, picanto (they do rust, particularly underneath) - Lexus is-250, big engine 20mpg approx, GS-300 (but 3L, 18mpg) - Mazda 3 (they do rust), mazda 6 - Mercedes C class, c180 compressor, CLK. E-class E200 - Saab 9-3 or saab 9-5 - Suzuki swift (some of them are semi auto, usually 1.5l is full auto) - Toyota Corolla, prius, RAV4, early auris mk1 are fine but later ones (mk2 or later) have semi-autos called multimode - Volkswagen mk4 golf, but mk5 onwards should be avoided - Vauxhall astra 1.8 - Volvo S40, V40

I know you hate doing these videos - but they are soo useful

I rescued a 52 Civic auto, that hadn`t seen a spanner in years, looked like previous owner thought the brake pedal was an optional add on. It spent nearly 2months at my mechanics, he looked at me "Why do you bring me bring me knackred old shit" ad it 3 years now, it actually get serviced now, its been amazing

I would never entertain the idea of an auto for literally 3 decades. Then I got one because it was a bargain even though I didn't want the auto, I still wanted the car. Its' actually quite relaxing. No more knee pain from 200 clutch presses in traffic. No more messing about a handbrake on hills.

That was fun. I am sad and flick through autotrader like that . for fun , even when I'm not buying, so it was fun so to see you do the same - and share your knowledge/ preferences. I could see several videos in that format, with a different proposition diesel estate car for £8k, saloon with quick engine £10k etc

At last…!! I very nearly feel like an expert for once in my life. I am an older gentleman and have driven auto only for over 40 years. I have never had a lot of money to spend so am at the bottom end of the food chain when it comes to purchasing cars. I laughed out loud when you got to Suzuki because I currently drive Postman Pat’s van, as did your sainted Grandmother. 😊 The back seats go flat which actually does turn it into a little van…almost. As you know it’s a 1.3 and mine of course has the auto box. Bought it 4 years ago for £1600 with 13.000 miles on the clock !!!!! Still running it with no issues. I do love and much prefer a big old luxury barge, and have owned a few high milers in the past. I check all car sites daily for fun and knowledge and was foolishly delighted to tick virtually all the same boxes you did. I look at your stock list often to see if something in my price range comes up (half your videos limit) but quite naturally I don’t think you sell those there although I know you pick up cheapies which you review sometimes. Anyway, great video. Postman Pat rides again !!!

If you look at a proper automatic look at the colour of the gearbox oil on the dipstick. If its black forget it. It should be red, but a tinge of brown is OK. Then when you get it change the gearbox oil 3 times to flush some new oil in. You can measure how much u get out and re fill with the same amount . Then check the level after. Some gearbox's don't have dip sticks and all sorts of various ways of checking the level.

Today I learned something about "modern" automatics and what to avoid. Appreciated Matt.

About to get nerdy: about the Audi/VW DSG I think you have to make a difference between the 6 and 7 speed versions. The 6 speed uses a wet clutch and is reliable as long as it gets serviced every 60k km. The 7 speed uses a dry clutch, with this one I wouldn't bother. (Fun fact about the 6 speed: if I'm correct the earlier versions (starting 2004) use only one hydraulic system to both control and lubricate the clutch. The marketing promise was you never have to service them, but with such a set up and the oil getting dirty, it's actually very critical to stick up to the 60k km figure...). I did have a second generation A3, but why the hell do I still know this while I'm working in IT service??!

These videos are so helpful in providing step by step guide on what to look for in used cars. There's nothing like these to compare to. Keep up the good work mate.

Top tips on these videos Matt. You have a lot of experience in buying/selling cars and your knowledge is valued.

Interesting your views on the DSG. I'm an ex Taxi driver and alot of the drivers have the DSGs. We find them alot more reliable than the manuals. We've seen them go past 350k on Orginal clutches and flywheels. I think their reputation of unreliability comes from owners not getting the gearbox oil changed.

Superb - this landed on the very day I thought "I need to find out what cheap automatics are worth getting". It's not just a coincidence, this is biblical 🙏

I love that you have so much knowledge on all sorts of cars from all sorts of manufacturers. The sort of knowledge that only comes from years of experience. Thanks for the vid!

Thanks Matt. One of the younger members of staff where I work are having trouble learning to drive with a manual box. I suggested she take the automatic option (we are all heading that way). Your vid has given me great clues on what not to buy for her first car. Thanks again & all the best........

I don't think you can buy a better car for less than £5000 than a Lexus is250. Mines got heated/cooled seats, sat nav, parking sensors front and rear, Reversing camera, touch screen dvd player, Mark levinson 14 speaker stereo, memory seats, etc. Nice looking, and comfortable. And it's been absolutely bullet proof.

I have an Audi A3, its reliable and a good first car. I have it with an automatic transmission and haven't had one singular problem as of the 2 years I've had it.

I'd avoid any W203 C Class registered before 2005 - the engine and gearbox are excellent but they suffer terribly from rust.

That’s just the search criteria I have been given to look for a suitable car for a friend , really useful advice and will make my job a lot easier , thank you.

after over 40hrs of lessons and failing my first test, im really thinking of going for an auto once i pass. i love the idea of manuals and would love to get used to it but just never fully have after all the time ive spent learning in one, so this video has been a massive help! 🙌

Outstanding video Matt , really good information and agreed with most of your choices with the automatics 👍

After a mild stroke left me with chronic left leg pain I bought a low mileage, semi-auto, Peugeot 206. Pile of p**p! After much research, I found a battered old 2006 Prius and took a punt. The hybrid battery only lasted 10 months but the car was cheap. A good quality, high-end replacement hybrid battery has transformed the car, which I really liked for the spec (T3 Spirit) and the ease of driving. I should also mention the £10 a year tax! A solid and reliable car for the more stately or cost-conscious driver.

This is such a genuinely good channel. Actually real world advice.

Hi Matt, my wife has 1997 Nissan Micra 1.3 Automatic,75000 mls, full service history, my wife is the second owner, we absolutely love it. Top of the range, electric front windows & sun roof!!! 😅😂. This our second Micra, our 2004 is still going with just over 235000 mls. I'm a biker, so you often get bikers acknowledge one another. To my surprise, people in Micra's get so excited when they see you they start waving, and I'm waving back. How sad is that,but so much fun. 😂😂😂

Toyota Corolla 2002-2007 Toyota Yaris 1999-2005 Toyota RAV4 2000-2011 Mazda 3 2003-2007 Mazda 6 2002-2006 Ford Focus 1998-2009 Volvo S40 1998-2004 These ones are the best in my opinion and they are all in order from best (top) to less best (bottom) :)

I agree with you Matt about auto's you're either on the motorway or stuck in the a city traffic jam.. an Auto is so much easier these days.

Honestly.... this is the best used car video on the web... wish some one had done smthing like this when i was buying used

Wonderfully straightforward - thanks Matt!

Avensis says hi upto 2009 - the 1.8 petrol after that was CVT, but reliable more than most. The 2.2 diesel was a proper torque box.

Thanks Matt brilliant video on choice of automatics . I will always follow your advice you know more about cars than me you've been a good salesman. I like you for your no nonsense straight talk about cars. Above all you are honest and have a good character which is sadly lacking these days not many honest car sales men left in UK. I think I could count them on one hand To be honest there are alot of rip off merchants out there.

Thanks Matt, very insightful. I have a BMW series1 automatic 2010, well looked after, low mileage, had it 3 and half years, no trouble at all.

Another great video, thanks Matt. I spend a shameful proportion of my life going through Autotrader and it's a neat way of sharing your thoughts with us 👍

personal experience the dsg in my 2011 golf was very reliable, lasted me a few years before i sold it, in comparison my brother had an Audi A4 avant with the cvt on a 56 reg and it had to get serviced and codded twice in the same amount of time.

Picked up a 2006 Auto Honda Jazz for my wife a couple of years ago. CVT gearbox but the previous owners maintained it really well and it’s been totally reliable. Although slow, it’s good fun to drive and I find myself taking it over my new car. Don’t worry about where I park it and it’s cheap to run. Lot to be said for owning a car like this for local use, tip runs etc. Great Video, really useful info 👍

I love how you browse like anyone else would on the internet, good idea - appealed to me in Australia...

I have a 2003 Merc CLK200 1.8 auto. I get over 30mpg, she's made to an extremely high standard, and the gearbox is super smooth. And I agree, I think she's a future classic.

"Citroen definitely not" 🤣👍 Cracked me up right off the bat I needed that!

Great video for low cost motoring with an automatic license. I can highly recommend a W204 C180 pre-facelift Kompressor. I bought a 2009 C180k saloon for £5k, fMBsh, one owner with 50k miles in 2017. I traded it in this year (May 2022) with 90k miles against a 2016 E350d coupe, fMBsh, one owner 39k miles and got £3.7k for it. £1,300 for 5 years and 40k miles is a bargain. I even got 40mpg on a 2000 mile holiday in France in 2019. Never had a single issue with it either.

To each his own. Matt appears to be a one man lexicon of facts and figures for all things on four wheels with an engine. He pushes my buttons - for a used car sales man - I mean that in a good way.

Good advice. So much of what I hear you say I agree with. And with such an amusing delivery. Well done

The Focus had a true auto gearbox until 2010, so a 2010 Titanium petrol would be a great choice. You get the facelift looks too, which personally I prefer.

My wife has owned a 2006 Fiesta 1.6 Ghia petrol Auto since 2008 with the full fat auto box. Its done around 95K now and we have had no issues with the the engine or gearbox in all the time we have had it. The only drawbacks are the car tax and fuel consumption compared with my Fiesta 1.4 TDCI manual.

Enjoyed the video, thank you. But I do take issue with you "dissing" the Hyundai and Nissan brands in general. As a family who have had automatics for over 25 years, we have had two Micra automatics that gave no trouble. The 2014 Micra is a CVT is has given no trouble so far. We also had a Hyundai I10 (2011) auto and it gave no trouble at all either until it was rear-ended and unfortunately written off. I ran a 08 C180 auto for over 240k kms; the auto box eventually needed work but it was poorly serviced by an official MB agency, shame!. My own experience is that Japanese (and Korean) manufacturers make the best automatics and I was surprised that the Toyota Avensis (early models) didn't feature in your line-up. They are bullet proof.

Great Video Matt!,this video has come at the right time, thank you for uploading!

If you are on tight budget never take automatic. I made that mistake twice and costs of repairs in uk are horrendous. Now only petrol, manual with timing chain. As an example: whole gearbox for mazda 6 costed me 1750 what was nearly half of the price of car.

I was looking for a petrol auto but I also wanted a 2 / 3 door and I didn't want stop/start or an electric parking brake. That narrowed the choice down considerably ... in fact it narrowed my choice down to just one car. A Vauxhall GTC. It was a great choice though, I bought my 2014 model just two years old with 12k on the meter and as Vauxhall's depreciate for fun, I only paid £7k for it .... from a forecourt. I've got 23k on the clock now and it has never missed a beat. I like the car so much, I'm thinking of getting a later one (I think 2018 were the last ones they did).

BMW uses the ZF box and it’s used in so many cars. They’re very reliable boxes.

Highly informative video - good job !

Hi. Love the videos. Bought a Ford Focus 4 years ago for my daughter, it was 2006 automatic. Still going and passes its NCT in Ireland every year. I paid €500 for it. I thought if she gets a year out of it happy days. Nearly 5 years later no problems. Just service them regularly. The second hand market has gone crazy here now and would be lucky to pick up an automatic mk 2 Focus for less than €2000.

As for the Kia's - these are replicated in the Hyundai ranges - i10- i20- i30 - just the same cars

Can't believe how cheap basic older cars are. Really helpful useful tips. Thanks

Very (very) useful video - I’m looking for exactly that, an Auto under £5k, but not a Saloon…. Doesn’t take longer to do a 200 mile search ! But you’ve given me excellent reasons to cut out lots of manufacturers, massive help, thanks

In the gym on a Friday evening listening to you talk about cheap automatic cars….and I love it! 😄

I would suggest a Saab 95 with the General Motors engine and five speed genuine auto box. I had a diesel one of these that I got off my father-in-law when Mercedes wouldn’t even offer him £50 trading and it was an absolutely brilliant car and on one magical trip back from Leeds achieved an astonishing 62 mpg.

Really sound advice on buying automatics, where I found myself nodding in agreement about what makes to avoid. Time I treated myself to a nice C180 again, having downsized some months ago and missing that nice easy drive (showing my age haha!). Keep up the good work lad!

Have had 2 Japanese hybrids with CVT autos. Very smooth and reliable. No complaints.

As always an interesting video Matt. I think most importantly you have highlighted the cars to avoid that could end up costing a lot of money. Glad to see that you've mentioned the Honda Jazz. Yes of course very much a car for more mature people, but a great record for reliability. A friend who's a mechanic has a 2003 model. When he noticed a problem with his auto box a fluid change sorted things. He's also impreesed that Honda have sent him a safety recall on such an old car!

Mazda 3 it is

Please make more of these, feel like I’ve just had a lesson! Thank you

I own an automatic volvo S80 from 1999. absolute banger of a car. has about 450000 km but still runs perfect. bit thirsty with 0.8 liter per 10 kilometer but otherwise never really had any problems with it. altho a bit big but considering that i spend a lot of time and almost always need stuff with me its absolutely amazing. great tips also, learned a lot today

Spot-on again Matt....Autos are so much better for the 'around town daily stuff' we have two Autos one a Grand Vitara, (worth £3,500) and the other a Mazda CX-3 (Wife's and worth a lot more than £5k) but both great and do a job well and not had any trouble with either. The amount of ruined clutches I've seen at fairly low miles because people 'ride' them in town is silly....and the main reason why an auto is so much better. Keep up the good work!

As an auld long distance runner, returning from Marathons and 1/2 Marathons up in the north of Scotland; I had to use an auto as my left leg would cramp up so badly having to use a clutch! Pure agree with your selection criteria, no French etc etc lol! I liked older Mercedes!

Please make a video on what auto is good for under £10k, would be an interesting watch, love your videos mate keep it up !!

Excellent Vid. You clearly know your stuff, not a wasted talent.

Another great video Matt - as a driver of autos found it really interesting...good ones are hard to find especially if you don't want a luxo-barge. Loved the comment 'why am I instantly attracted to a 20 year old e-class'!

Bought myself an Auto Astra when I passed my test. Mostly drove locally but have ventured on some 100+ mile trips in it. It had 84k on the clock now it has 89k. Starts first time, gearbox is smooth 99% of the time. It struggles sometimes to change to a higher gear when you pull off after a cold start but apart from that it's a wonderful little run around & a great gearbox. Doesn't struggle in sports mode either, handles the revs nicely.

Really excellent approach to solving the "buy cheap 2nd hand auto petrol car" problem.

Saving us years of bad experience! Thanks mate!

Love these videos. Personally I’d love to see the best Estate cars for under £5000.

Prius/Toyota eCVTs are arguably the most reliable boxes around.

Cheers Matt. propper consumer advice. much appreciated .

A future classic video would be awesome!

Matt, last year I bought 2003 Honda Civic automatic for my wife, its been a great car and very good choice for first car(new driver), heated leader seats, sun roof, good condition(previous owner was elderly couple), maintained in one garage for many years. It was barely driven during lockdown, brakes need changing. Cost me £1400 to buy and £600 for brakes and TLC, I replaced the spare tyre as well as it was 12-13 years old with visible cracks. The car came with almost brand new Michelin Cross climate all season tyres. I'm super happy of my purchase. The only thing that bothers me is the road tax - £265 from this year, it was £255 last year. Cheers for the good videos mate, I enjoy them, you are especially helpful when you state the cost of repairing a car.

I can vouch for the 1.5 Swift auto, my other half has an auto only licence and he had one for his first car, in nearly 5 years of ownership and 74k covered (we sold it with 96k on) it never put a foot wrong, we went all over the country in it. I miss it dearly.

Nice vid Matt, you mentioned maybe doing a vid on future classics, that will be really interesting to see what you think future classics are

Great video, just the sort of knowledgeable and practical info I've been looking for, for over a year now, thanks very much. Don't care what it looks like style-wise, but reliability is all I care about. I was looking for a true torque converter auto of the old school type, but there aren't many of them around since about 2000. Liked and subscribed.

Hi Matt, I had a 2007 Mondeo Automatic 2.0 TDCI which also was a Durashift. It had a proper 6 speed Aisin Warner torque converter box. So, with the Mondeo Durashift is good and Powershift is bad. So it seems not all Durashifts are alike. Anyway, good video and also meets my sentiments exactly, I also would never buy any dual clutch cr@p. Cheers, Marco

Brilliant video Matt! I had a 67 plate Volvo V40 D3 on lease with an auto box and it was very smooth. I later established that it was an Aisin box which is a brand owned by Toyota I believe. The other brand to look out for is ZF which are used in BMW and Jags I think. My next motor will 100% be an auto from your list 💯👍

this really helped me find out like what cars i should get when Im older so thank you.

You sound so knowledgeable! And so easy on the eyes 🥺

Lexus is250 for the win, incredible build quality with amazing luxury. Extremely dependable Japanese engineering. Plenty of power, all for less then £5k 😍👊🏻

I’ve caught myself watching your video even though I would never buy a cheap auto. Just enjoy your videos Matt. For a £5k auto I would suggest a Ford Focus is a good reliable buy

I was dreading an steep uphill climb coming home from work in a snowstorm in Liverpool. It was very slippy but my 2 litre Accord auto. The traffic was heavy and with a pedestrian crossing and a big busy junction made that hill start - stop from bottom to top. But my 2 litre Accord auto handled it easy. No searching for the clutch bite point..just lift foot off the break pedal and it moved onward and up.

Very interesting video Matt.

Aaaaaaa! You're so right on most of these but so wrong on some of them. CVT's are not bad at all usually. Also, Nissan worked together with Suzuki on the Alto/Pixo from '09 and later, and those can be had fairly cheap as well (source: I sold mine for €2k recently). Also, the Volvo's with the Geartronic boxes are usually really good. They're from Aisin-Werner, a sub-brand from Toyota. There's one model which can develop a fault which is fixable with a simple refurb kit costing only a few quid. Source: I was looking for an AT in the country across the smaller pond, to the east. The only kinds of cars that were somewhat sensible were either like a Volvo S40, V40, V50, S60 or something like a Saab 9-3. Haven't read much about the Saabs, but I've ended up doing quite a bit of online research on the AT Volvo's I mentioned earlier (so I did end up getting a V50 with Geartronic, and it's been nothing but an absolute pleasure so far). I can't drive anything else than an AT because of my license (reasons), so yeah my options were really limited. You did show the BMW's but you kinda glossed over the fact that pretty much all of those 1, 3 and 5 series have engines with chains that WILL fail sooner rather than later, since those bad chains were used for a LONG time in those BMW's (those chains stretch too much, unlike they're supposed to, and massively b0rk up the valve/cam timings). It's a shame really, would've loved one but in those cases you may not have the gearbox to worry about but an expensive engine failure. Diesel ones have this issue much less, but it's still too common. And when they do fail, it's a complete economical write-off. Oh and that's not to say any of the other good AT gearboxes are fault-proof either. Quite the opposite. On my previous Alto, the gearbox DID fail at around 160.000km (not miles). Why? Because the differential bearing had completely worn. I got lucky and was able to get a replacement box delivered for

Actually, on the Ford's the PowerShift is the crap one, it's the DuraShift you want, the DuraShift is a proper torque converter auto.

Just what I need mate, looking for a car for the mother within this price range and this video pops up! Cheers!

Great video as usual Matt. Can I suggest that you make a video on recommend tow cars.

Totally agree about the Ford Dura-shift gearboxes. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid! My grandmother had a 2008 Ford Fusion with this gearbox and it’s slow between changes, slow to react, and genuinely felt like it was going to break every time you drove it.

No going back to manual for everyday use after having a decent Auto

This man is as funny as he is knowledgeable. I've subscribed ! Made me interested and I LOL on a few occasions. Brightened my day up somewhat. Thank you.

Many years ago I had a Volvo 340 with a cvt gearbox and didn’t have any problems and it performed better in snow than any other at I’ve had powered up hills range rovers etc were getting stuck on. I now have a Saab 9-3 auto which is a great car.

Fantastic video, thanks for sharing. I’d love to see you do one on the best cars to give you a bit of luxury under £10k without them becoming a massive headache. Those old jags are very tempting but I’m sure there are better alternatives or a better sweet spot between luxury and reliability.

The Geartronic on the Volvo is a great box, plenty with 250k on the clock and still going strong. So that gets you into some c30s, s60, s80, c70, v70, xc70, xc60 and xc90 but usually have to have the 2.4, 2.5 or 3L engines. The 2.4 D5 diesel will go on and on.

Love this type of video. Getting good cars at good price point.

A very nice bmw with a proper auto is the 325i with 214hp. Upto 30 mpg in town and 50 mpg on the highway. 155 mph top end. Lovely smooth 6 cylinder engine. Shapes available were coupe, sedan, convertible or estate. I had a 2007 325i touring for years until it was written off in a KFC car park when a big truck reversed into it while it was parked and I was eating a zinger inside the resturant. I ran outside but the trucker took off.

Just a note! Geartronic box on Volvos are the same as Saab, Aisin AW55 gearboxes. So it's a traditional greatbox that is super stoute without any major issues. I would go Newer S40 P2 plattform anyday over the old one that is based on mitshubisi carisma :) Also note about Saab 9-5, Always for the 2.3, it has higher compression and as lower fuel milage than the 2,0 Saab 9-3 1.8t and 2.0t is the same engine just diffrent SW Tid is a fiat motor same as JTDM :)

Volvo used the Aisin Warner AW55 and TF80-SC Gearbox in almost all the cars from that Timeperiod as automatics. And that was called Geartronic but just because it was a Automatic where you can shift yourself not because it is a Dual Clutch or CVT. TF80-SC is the 6 Speed and also the better one and the AW55 is the 5 Speed.

Great topic! Original! 1st time such overview & really Handy! Thank you