My own opinion having owned three 164's--a 4-speed, 4-speed w/od and an auto and have driven many auto equipped 164's--the the power of the 6 masks the limitations of the very basic BW35. That was a transmission used in many European imports--mostly with 4 cylinder motors. There's no question the auto made the those cars more sluggish than the stick shift versions. There's no problem in that regard with the 164--it has lots of torque and will get you up to highway speed without straining. The 1975 model may be saddled with pollution control devices. Stick or auto the 164 is no economy car -- expect at best 15-18 mpg-tolerable I guess as a weekend ride. There's a high pleasure factor with the 164. -- Dave