850r Auto

**heyes** · Friday 11th June 2010, 08:57

Hi can anyone tell me what a 850r auto is like to drive and is the gearbox strong at over 150k.
Thanks

**polak t5r** · Friday 11th June 2010, 09:18

hi heyes i have one that has done 161k and gearbox is fine feels good in every gear even in sports mode to drive there a bit bone shaker on the country lanes i drive round but it handles superb for an estate you can feel like your actually driving the car not the other way round like the newer ones if you want smooth and quite go for a p2 if you want a drivers car and want to feel every bump and turn like i did go for a 850 my opinion anyway.

**Flatout Phil** · Friday 11th June 2010, 11:55

Originally Posted by heyes

Hi can anyone tell me what a 850r auto is like to drive and is the gearbox strong at over 150k.
Thanks

Not as good as a manual

but as for autos, at that age it is down to the individual gearbox and whether it has been overheated, used for towing had the required oil changes etc. If the oil is clean and it all runs fine, should be fine for a stage 0 set up. After that, additional cooling might be sensible.

For myself, I prefer the manual R (yes, they are rarer) simply because I like the additional benefits of the bigger turbo (4% more power - woohoo!) , the M59 gearbox and the minimisation of power loss - as well as engine braking. I recently took a newish Mazda RX8 231ps for a drive, it did not feel as rapid as my R (actually it was probably about the same). I got back in the R and thought that whilst it rides a bit harsher, it is a real, hardcore driving experience - if you like that sort of thing. Which I do.
Auto R do not feel as fast as the manual - it is a very different power delivery.

**Wobbly Dave** · Friday 11th June 2010, 12:03

I owned an 855R Auto - lovely box to drive. So long as you don't do what I did - namely power starts - you should be fine.

I would certainly as part of the fettling at the beginning of ownership - spend the 50 quid or so on ATF and spend an hour or so flush changing it.

Additional cooling is no bad idea - if you want to tune the car up a bit.

**alanscottgraham** · Friday 11th June 2010, 12:18

My 855 R auto has done 201000. no issue with box (or engine) at all. replaced cambelt and pcv though. Great drivers car (for an auto) but wife and kids getting a bit fed up with the 'firm' ride with all these potholes STILL around us. Getting about 22-25mpg :-o

**Wobbly Dave** · Friday 11th June 2010, 12:24

Here are my ideas - from when I actually owned one...

http://www.vpcuk.org/forums/showthread.php?t=899

**heyes** · Friday 11th June 2010, 13:33

Thanks for all your input. Lots of thinking to do.

**polak t5r** · Friday 11th June 2010, 14:06

i agree with flatout phil go for a manual unless you have to buy an auto i've got an auto and i'm getting rid to get a manual one as when i had my t5-r manual it was a different animal compared to the auto not that the auto's slow by any means but it just feels more in a manual

**greenone** · Saturday 12th June 2010, 06:57

My 850R auto is now at 216000mls with no issues that I am aware of (famous last words).

**badger1980** · Monday 14th June 2010, 02:43

When i had my auto i had no problems at all with it only thing i had to do was the hand brake cable and the pcv valve everyone who drove it commented on how smooth the autobox was.