Used Automatic Cars For Sale

We have over 40,000+ used automatic cars available on heycar

Automatic cars for sale with heycar

There are more automatic cars for sale now than ever before. Car companies continue to reduce the number of manual cars they offer, and many new cars aren't offered with manual gearboxes at all. Automatic cars are increasing in popularity for several reasons. They're easier and more relaxing to drive, and they also work better with modern technology such as self-driving functions and mild-hybrid systems. While there was a time when automatics weren't as efficient as manuals, these days it's usually the opposite. Every new electric car is effectively an automatic, with no gears to shift, while hybrids are also usually automatic, too. Check out our guide to the best automatic cars to help get you started if you're unsure what used automatic car for sale is right for you.

Automatic cars vs manual cars

Most people buy a used automatic car because they see no need to change gear themselves. Drivers with busy commutes into towns and cities, or those who spend lots of time in traffic jams, find automatic cars much easier to drive.

The main difference between an automatic car and a manual car is that the driver of a manual car presses a has to press a clutch pedal while manually changing the gears using a gearstick. Automatic cars change gears too, although they do it... well, automatically. A manual car has three pedals – the brake, the accelerator, and the clutch – whereas an automatic just has two – the brake and the accelerator.

Used automatic cars for sale used to be pretty much exclusively posh executive cruisers, while smaller cars were overwhelmingly manual, but today automatic cars come in all shapes, sizes and price points.

How do automatic cars work?

Rather than pushing in a clutch pedal and moving the gearstick to change gears, automatic cars just have a brake and accelerator. To start off in an auto car, you move from P (Park) into D (Drive) using a gearstick, lever or button.

Cars with manual gearboxes usually have a maximum of six forward gears. Automatic cars have up to nine gears. As a result, automatic cars can change into the most suitable gear for the current driving conditions. This makes some automatic cars slightly more economical than manuals.

There are various sorts of automatic gearbox, but the key to a good auto is that it should change gears smoothly when the driver needs it. And different car manufacturers have different methods on how to do that with their automatic cars.

The traditional auto is called a torque converter by car experts. This uses a fluid coupling between the engine and gearbox to transmit the power. There are some brilliant torque converter gearboxes available on second-hand automatic cars from the likes of BMW, Land Rover and Jaguar.

A semi-automated gearbox, also known as a robotised manual, clutchless manual or automated manual, is essentially a manual gearbox with the clutch pedal removed – the car does that bit of the process for you. This is one of the cheaper ways of making an automatic car as the technology is lightweight and simple to engineer, so small automatic cars for sale often use this system.

Perhaps the most common automatic cars these days feature dual-clutch (DSG) or CVT gearboxes.

What is a DSG gearbox?

DSG stands for Direct Shift Gearbox. It’s actually the name given to this type of gearbox by the Volkswagen Group but the term has caught on and it's now widely used. A more correct name is the double-clutch gearbox.

The thinking behind it is that it’s quicker to change input shafts between the engine and gearbox than it is to swap gear cogs. So the DSG uses two clutches. One works with odd number gears, and the other with the even gears. When first gear is engaged, the second is primed and ready. Change to second and the third is primed and so on. Changes can be lightning fast and super smooth at speed, and DSG gearboxes are generally pretty efficient on fuel, too.

What is a CVT gearbox?

CVT stands for Continuously Variable Transmission and actually isn’t a gearbox at all, because there aren't any physical cogs inside it. It’s easiest to imagine a rubber band between two pulleys. The ratio between these varies constantly depending on vehicle speed, engine speed and whether the driver is accelerating or braking.

As the CVT should always be in the correct ratio for the driving conditions, these gearboxes are economical. They’re also simple and cheap to maintain. But the CVT isn’t for keen drivers due its lack of feeling of engagement. When you accelerate hard it can feel like a regular gearbox with a slipping clutch, and while it's efficient, the engine noise doesn't match the acceleration, so it can feel disconnected.

Cheap automatic cars

Second-hand automatic cars tend to cost more than manual cars because of the additional engineering and parts required. However, you can still find cheap automatic cars for sale that won't break the bank. At heycar we have a huge selection of automatic cars for sale, including cheap second hand automatics.

What should I look for when buying a used automatic car?

When looking at used automatic cars for sale, make sure they have been serviced in line with the manufacturer’s recommended intervals, because many automatic models have gearboxes that are more complex than manual cars. If you test drive an automatic car be sure to check it changes gear smoothly and doesn’t skip gears or hold onto them too long. If you’re looking at a used automatic car that has been used for towing, be aware that this can put increased strain on the engine and gearbox.

If you're not sure if a used automatic car is quite right for you, we've got 1000s of used cars for sale to suit all budgets and needs.