Auto Box - what are they like?

All my previous VW's have been manual but have had an auto company car a couple of years ago.
My question is what are the early golf auto boxes like to live with? We are considering an early 1.6 gl auto cabby which the wife will be driving. I'm guessing mpg is going to suffer as they usually do.
Thoughts and comments welcomed

Apparently they are pretty good, however as a general observation autos are the work of beelzebub and all his devilish minions - IMHO ;-)

There's always one

Depends how it's going to be driven, really - for long-distance, high speed cruising then a 5- or 6-speed manual would suit you better. At 70-80 mine is at around 2800-3000 rpm which is a little loud (and thirsty) to do every day. If she does more city driving or gets stuck in traffic a lot, the auto will be a lot more fun - initial acceleration is great as the ratios are longer, and it's a lot less tiring to drive without using your clutch leg all the time. I get between 270 and 300 miles to a tank, depending on how heavy-footed I am and how far into the red bit of the gauge you are confident with! I tend to reset my odometer whenever I fill up and get about 40-45 litres in after 260 miles, which is around 22mpg overall on a 20 mile commute - you'll do better on longer runs or by keeping the roof up.

They're also likely to be less abused than manuals - you have to go out of your way to redline one and so they usually have a gentler life - so the overall condition may be better than equivalent manuals. Plus they're rarer so survivors may have been with enthusiasts for longer.

Changing the gearbox fluid is a tedious, messy job (but not at all difficult - DIY) and you'll only have to do it every 3-5 years, which IMO compares favourably with clutch changes on a manual that tend to be a garage job. They're also harder to damage as the torque converter provides the function of slipping the clutch (and doesn't wear anything in the process). Be aware that poorly-maintained gearboxes with low fluid levels (or just old fluid) can eventually cause major damage, though, and a full rebuild of an auto box is more expensive than the equivalent on a manual, so pick your victim carefully. That said a fluid change solves most minor niggles so if there's ATF on the dipstick and it's the right colour (red or light brown, never black or gritty) then it may well be fine and you can use it as a bargaining point. The classic low-fluid symptom is that when setting off it'll rev hard and then lurch as it bangs into gear - this is because the ATF pump has to build up pressure first to get the gear engaged, so is instantly fixed by adding more fluid.

Basically they're very relaxing to drive - keep the brakes looked after and the ATF topped up and they're great cars for pootling around in if you're not after raw speed. Which is the point of a cabby, right? Wind noise is usually the limiting factor, though they do feel a bit perkier with GTi cams in (mine's a 1.8 Weber-carbed one and after the cam swap is lovely) which may tempt you to speed up.

You're welcome to a go in mine if you're ever nearby

Stone

Have to agree with stone there great cars easy to drive and Ive never had a issue in the 4 years of ownership, I would suggest webber carb which I need to do myself. Plus there's less of them left, that could mean there more sought after.
good luck
dave