91-94 Which tranny is worse?

[kevinorhoades]

I'm thinking about getting an older explorer and have heard about transmission problems for both the manual and the automatic. I heard that the manuals would lose oil somehow and fail frequently, and that the automatics just failed because they sucked. Which box is better or worse? I would prefer a manual. Is it easy to check and add oil to the manual tranny? Is there any way to prevent the problems of either transmission if the vehicle feels healthy when purchased? Please enlighten me.

[kevinorhoades]

One more question. Does the presence, or lack of presence of 4wd seem to have any effect on the tranny life?

[Opera House]

A 94 A4LD is internally constructed better than a 91-92. Hard to find anyone who will rave about the A4LD. They are cheap and easy to work on if you are so inclined.