have 97 sunfire I'm happy with, except the 3 speed automatic just doesn't get the MPG I would like. I'm shopping for another j-body though. I hear the 4 speed auto is prone to problems and expensive to fix, and the best way to go for the best combination of MPG and reliability is the 5 speed.


Is that a myth or confirmed? Is there a ligit reason to avoid the 4 speed automatic?

Get a 4 speed 4t40e auto, maybe add an aftermarket transmission cooler and b&m shiftplus and put a bottle of lubegard red in it

The 4 speed automatic 4t40e is generally a good transmission. The most common issue that I've heard of with them is sensors going bad and the tcc solenoids going bad which is generally cheap and easy to fix, especially if you do it yourself. Just remember that heat is the main killer of automatic transmissions. I have a 99 z24 with the 2.4 and 4 speed 4t40e combo and average 26mpg, could be better if I would give the engine a tune up (plugs, filters, etc... and convert to 2.2 icm/coilpack/wires setup)

awesome guys. thanks. you've put my mind at ease about getting one

Just make sure to get one that has been properly maintained and it will be fine. There's no dipstick on the 4t40e, but you can remove the engine air ntake pipe to access and remove the red filler cap on the top of the transmission and smell it to make sure that the fluid isn't burnt and also kind of get an idea of the color of the fluid from the fluid residue that's on the inside of the cap.