I'm interested in getting a 04 - 06 Ralliart for a daily driver. I test drove an automatic with about 90k miles. It seemed fine although I could tell the previous owner neglected it. It was extremely dirty and alignment was way off so didn't really want to push it.

I previously owned a 97 Mitsu Mirage with the 1.8L and 4 speed auto. I had to replace that trans once around 140k miles which was understandable considering how hard I was on it. The second trans was still fine when I donated the car at 210k miles Is the 4-speed INVECS-II pretty similar? How is reliability?

I may prefer a 5 speed but haven't driven one yet. How is the clutch feel? I've driven and like the clutches in the Integra GSR and Evo IX (6 speed). I didn't like the clutch in the RSX Type S much as it didn't have much feel to it but it was easy to drive. I loathed the clutch in the 2000 Mustang V6. Too hard and way to high engagement point.

Regardless, I won't be racing the car so how much does the 5 speed add to the driving enjoyment in the Ralliart?

 

5 speed is better in my opinion...the stock clutch is pretty decent compared to the 2.0L lancer...

 

I personally love the 5 speed, the only downside to me personally is that I was hoping for higher gas milage with the manual. I get roughly 27 on conservative driving and around 20 when im having fun

 

I liked the m/t in my old RA but I am curious about the a/t's longevity and how well it holds up to heavy modding. Will a trans cooler increase the life on an a/t with mods? Not trying to hijack the thread

 

oil cooling can only help...