Hi all. My brain hurts so bad so I’m posting on here in the hope someone will help it stop. I apologise in advance for transferring the brain-ache and / or if this has already been covered somewhere else.

To summarise, my last two cars have been semi-automatic gearboxes (1st one a Renault Clio Quickshift, 2nd a Citroen C3 Sensodrive) and both have been spectacularly, almost outstandingly unreliable, almost killed me on several occasions and ended their sorry lives as part ex’s that went for peanuts. A close friend of ours is a mechanic and has told me in no uncertain terms, never to get another semi-auto again as long as I live. The next one he says very directly, MUST be a full auto (I only have license for automatic)

I keep seeing A3’s which I love and know are historically, reliable cars that aren’t flimsily built but I’ve clocked about 20 of them, all of which have various names such as Tip Auto, S-Tronic, Manutronic etc. They all seem to be “something” tronic, which immediately makes me twitch, but my husband is now trying to talk me into an 2004 Audi A3 1.6 SE Tip Auto, which he reckons IS a full automatic, only it allows the driver to override the auto gearbox if necessary.

Maybe I’m just being a token girl and have faded out completely but I just need to know whether it’s safer to buy an older A3 despite its age, but which has a full automatic gearbox, go for the newer one with its all singing, all dancing automatic version or just forget about the Audi and get a bus pass.

Can anyone shed any light on all these Audi gearboxes and whether they’re anything like the awful French ones I’ve been unfortunate enough to have endured?? TWICE.

I’d really appreciate any feedback and promise I won’t bore you to death in response.

Cheers!