# How expensive is it to convert a car from std to automatic transmission? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 12, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298 "2005-01-12T00:40:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298/1 "2005-01-12T00:40:48Z")
I have a 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer (their lowest-end sedan). 5-speed. A google search didn’t yield that much info - I’m sure this is not a common thing. But anyway, does anyone know anything about this? Any wild estimates about how much it might cost? For reasons that are too boring to go into, it might be worth the money for me to do this in order to sell it to a specific person. ---
**Author:** ![chaparralv8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@chaparralv8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaparralv8)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298/2 "2005-01-12T00:45:01Z")
$3000 plus. On top of that, I’d also be highly suspicious of a car on its second transmission in only a few thousand miles. Sounds like it was raced on a consistent basis. Why would you want to sell a brand-new, current-model-year car, anyway? This car is a lot better off with a manual box than a slushmatic. Assuming it’s the base model, it has all of 120 horsepower. I’m sure you’ve noticed it’s no trackstar. It would be horrid with an automatic transmission sapping away 15 more horsepower. ---
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298/3 "2005-01-12T00:59:52Z")
> [@chaparralv8](#): > > $3000 plus. Why would you want to sell a brand-new, current-model-year car, anyway? This car is a lot better off with a manual box than a slushmatic. Assuming it’s the base model, it has all of 120 horsepower. I’m sure you’ve noticed it’s no trackstar. It would be horrid with an automatic transmission sapping away 15 more horsepower. Thanks for the info. It would be sold to someone I know well, so they won’t suspect I’ve been racing. I would sell it because I’m selling everything to travel. Yeah, I know it’s better with a standard - this is just a special sort of situation. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298/4 "2005-01-12T01:34:03Z")
The person can’t or doesn’t want to drive a standard I assume. It would probably be much better to trade it in/sell it and get a car with an auto. Even if it is an '04. More bang/bank for your buck. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298/5 "2005-01-12T02:18:13Z")
No way you’ll come out ahead doing this. It’d be cheaper to trade it in for an auto version. ---
**Author:** ![jdc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@jdc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdc)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298/6 "2005-01-12T02:21:39Z")
Why not sell it w/ the included “learn to drive a stick in 3 easy lessons” package for no extra charge? ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298/7 "2005-01-12T13:41:47Z")
Engine and/or transmissions swaps aren’t the relatively straightforward deal they used to be in the 50’s and 60’s. The transmission is integrated into the electronic control system. The car’s wiring harness may not include connectors for the sensors on the automatic trans, and the ECU (“computer”) is almost certainly different. It may be doable, but doing it right would be a major project with many non-obvious details to be tended to. I’m an auto repair professional, and I wouldn’t even consider trying it. ---
**Author:** ![Blackclaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e68b1a/32.png) [@Blackclaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackclaw)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298/8 "2005-01-12T14:14:32Z")
That’s funny. I would like to make the opposite change in my Monte Carlo. (Automatic to Manual) I miss shifting. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298/9 "2005-01-12T14:36:27Z")
It would be cheaper to pay for an instructor to teach the person you are selling to to drive a stick. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298/10 "2005-01-12T16:28:47Z")
I suspect that it’s one of those things that even though it _can_ be done, there’s a good chance that the car will never be quite right afterward. ---
**Author:** ![tesseract](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@tesseract](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tesseract)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298/11 "2005-01-12T21:41:01Z")
> [@Pork Rind](#): > > I suspect that it’s one of those things that even though it _can_ be done, there’s a good chance that the car will never be quite right afterward. Hmm well that might be the reason that I wouldn’t do it. Thanks for all the comments. I knew I’d get some comments about “why are you doing this” and “teach them how to drive a stick” but the person I’d be selling it to wouldn’t be driving it – he knows how – it would be a car at the disposal of a lot of different people, over time, and it would need to be driven be any of them, and not all of them will necessarily know how to drive a stick. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2005, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-expensive-is-it-to-convert-a-car-from-std-to-automatic-transmission/284298/12 "2005-01-12T21:56:33Z")
There are many differences in the engines used …sensors are different, the emissions systems might have some small differences, etc. Really, it would be much easier to sell the car and buy another. Also, you might well find that such a car (after conversion) might be unsaleable. Trust me, don’ t open up a can of worms.