Rob,
I've only had the Westy manual for 1 month but my old '81 was manual. The
'91 is auto.
Impressions:
 '81 (aircooled) no problems with the clutch/tranny. It was still going
strong when I traded it off after 145K mi
 '84 Westy (wbx) the previous owner had hard shifting problems, he added
Redline to the gear case...no problems for me in the 2333 mi drive home from
AZ. The shift pattern is a little "wide" for me but otherwise, no
problems...knock on wood. Lots of downshifting  in the mountains.
 '91 Caravelle...the transmission is showing its age in that recently it has
developed a slight slip in the mornings when first driven....only for a few
seconds and then no trouble the rest of the day and not every morning.
 My overall impression of the '91 auto after 6 years and 157K mi is that I
would rather have the auto over any manual...climbs nicely, good ratios
(could use a little longer high gear for highway cruising) and plenty of
power (for me) with the 2.1.  MPG is slightly lower than the manual. AND the
wife will drive the '91 on trips...she doesn't like to shift.
 I really like the Caravelle...which I believe is like the Carat, only Euro
labeled.
 --
 Stephen Steele
 '91 Caravelle
 '84 Westy
 Chillicothe, OH