Manual or automatic gearbox.

Hi all, I'm just thinking about getting a 2003 auto, I'm new to Jimnys, read a bit on here about the auto boxs being reconmended, this maybe a daft question! but are all the auto boxs electronic? I read you could persuede them into engin breaking but wondered how, is it just a case you can select 1 or 2 in low? Sorry if these are daft questions, I'm used to manual landrovers!

Cheers

rexthecat wrote: are all the auto boxs electronic?
Cheers

All I can say is I get in, turn on, press the go pedal and it does the rest.

But wait, are you talking about the auto gearbox or the 4wd selection? I think you are having re read your post. Mine is manual and I prefer it that way but it is an early Jimny. I move a lever and I know I am doing it.

manual gearbox all the way.

a lever is less likely to go wrong :whistle:

Cheers, I guess the main reason I'm thinking auto is so my girl freind can drive it, a compromise really, but are automatics decent off road? I dont think I'd be doing anything much hardcore, will go to the localish off road site Devils Pit with it, might be nice to try a bit of green laneing. I was thinking putting MT tyres on it, any other reconmendations if I were to green lane it or would it cope well enough as is?

you in essex? loads of greenlanes there where is Devils Pit?never heard of it.

it will cope very well if you dont expect or try to drive in the ruts made by all the defender drivers out there. i green lane quite alot, sometimes in essex with landrover drivers and it always supprises them of how capable i am.

mud tyres will help alot especially now its starting to get muddy, alot of essex lanes get very muddy but then if it looks un passable with your current tyres or ATs probably best not to drive it unless you want to get stuck and have a friend for recovery.

a sensible well planned driving line will get you through most situations on suffolk/essex/norfolk lanes.

other things to consider for laning/pay and play: A friend with a landrover (to recover you when you get stuck), CB radio (common way to communicate between vehicles on laning runs), underbody protection (transfer box guard, radius arm mount guards, front lower shock mount guards, lower rear shock mount skid plates), breather pipes if your planing on light wading (upto bottom of the headlights at most) and a snorkel (for the jimny not you and the misses) if you want to go deeper.

ive got no underbody protection on mine at the mo but try not to drive anywhere im likely to tw** anything, although i did bend a radius arm mount on a essex lane!! as long as your sensible and drive to the vehicles capability you should be fine without anything, its when you try push the vehicles abilitys things maybe break and go wrong.

Automatic is excellent Offroad.
Much more control of how much power you apply to the wheels, so less wheelspin.

Probably a reason why all the top offroad-teams are running Automatic gearboxes