The Triumph Dolomite Club - Discussion Forum

That is the question!!!! I cant decide!!! Guys please help me out! Trying to whittle down what i want and im down to either 1500hl or a sprint... But auto or not!!!

What sort of money are you talking? the very, very best 1500 in the country will struggle to make over £2k, but you'll struggle to find a Sprint that will move under its own power for that.

I have different budgets. Im not to ser on a sprint butnif the right one came up immlooking at the 3k figure. It would have to be mot worthy for that. And not require major work (cosmetics i can fix slow time)

If it were a 1500 im lookong at the £1000-£1400 but im happy it may need a respray (im lookong for a keeper not a money maker obviously!)

Whatbi cant decide between is auto or manual as they both have pros and cons and im stuck!!!!

Ultimately the deciding factor is down to two factors

1) Can you be bothered to change gear? If No then you have your answer

2) Availability - very few Sprint Autos so chances of finding one are slim unless it has a tree growing out of it

You'd be well advised to try both of you can as the two are like chalk and cheese. A 1500 auto is a perfectly good car but is a totally different experience to a Sprint auto. Both are good choices

What maintenance issues are there with auto boxes? Common fauts? Which 1500 have o/d or is this dependant on if aomeone retro fitted it?

analogue_rogue wrote:What maintenance issues are there with auto boxes? Common fauts?

BW65's are a pretty reliable box in general, and particularly so in the Dolomites because they're so unstresed in that application. There are two external band adjusters, a dipstick to check the fluid level, and an internal filter. The really important things are to ensure that it's run on the correct fluid, and that the kickdown cable is correctly adjusted.

Yup manual it is hahahaha

Not every 1500 has o/d as it was not standard fit. It's desirable but depending on what you intend to do with the car it is not essential IMO. It can be retrofitted though good boxes can be surprisingly expensive.

to be honest i would be pottering about no serious mileage so whilst i would like it and may consider it in the future its not the end of the world.

If you do get an auto then get the 1850. They are reckoned to be the best of the Dolly autos.

My 1500HL auto box p155 like a sieve, but is rock solid - even when driven in a spirited way. It does struggle a bit with some hills, but is to be expected.

S

I think im going to stick to manual. Its been a long time since the college days and auto box theory lol

Plus i have my eye on a car...... Shhhh