Well, I think the automatic wants to shift just when you are picking up
speed.Kinda gets boring.This shifting at low rpms seems to make engines
last longer in vanagons(just my opinion as I see many high mileage wbx
automatics). If you floor it you get good shifting and a smile, but
bad,bad,gas mileage.If it breaks, I hear that you can rebuild the trans
part in your driveway with hand tools. Not so for the final drive part.I
hear that the trans cooler will clog up and blow out.The auto trans is the
same as in the audi 5000 and other vw cars, so they will swap out.If it
starts shifting funky,you can swap out a valve body in 1 hour from about
any vw.CV axels are different from stick shift vanagons.Starter moter is
different too.Sometimes the seal between the auto and final drive blows and
oil and fluid mix(rebuild time). Then there is the torque converter.Mostly
reliable too, but it does pop a seal or something now and then. There  are
many automatic vanagons out there.I find them in junkyards too.Check the
subaru/vanagon web site . They have an EZ to find article on how to modify
the govenor so you can wind the gears out a bit more.You just remove it and
grind a bit of metal off the swinging weights.Typically simple ,like the
rest of the automatic trans system in the vanagon. Now the stick shift has
the sudden catstrophic self destruction syndrome(see go westy web site
library and get realllll scared).However this is more rare that GW wants
you to believe.They want to sell you a $3000 trans, and you may beg them to
do this when you read the article.Just remember, most vanagons are happy
little stick shifts that run and run and run.We like these.It will go
faster and get a lot better gas mileage.When it wont start, you can jump
start it.Brakes will last much much longer.