I'm looking at my first Miata and looking for opinions of manual vs. auto transmissions.

I'm looking used car, not new.

I commute across the state on the weekends, and drive mostly highway to and from work with some traffic after work during the week.

This will be a daily driver for me.

Obviously the Miata is a sports car and generally I know that means manual for fun... but, currently eyeing an '08 PRHT with 62k miles asking
$16,485 +TTFees (at a dealer in Florida).

Is there anything to look out for if I opt for the auto version?

Thoughts/ opinions?

Thank you in advance.

 

The automatics reliability based on everything I have seen is good. However you give up about horse power and a good deal of fun. You can't get the track tuned suspension on an automatic. This may not matter to you. I just purchased my2012 mx-5 about a 6 weeks ago and I'm getting about 29mpg on average (6 speed manual). My trip to and from work is mostly highway. I don't know what, if any, difference there would be in MPG with an automatic. I know it's a heck of alot better than I was getting on my rx-8!

If you are looking at a dealer in FLA and you are not from there I would REALLY check out the car for rust areas if the car was near the coast. If it was not maintained, driven on the beach etc you can get rust in FLA pretty quickly...I lived in FLA for 9 years and I made sure I washed my cars often and ran them through automatic car washes to make sure I got all the salt off under the car.

Jim

 

I know the manual cars have a good secondary resale market for male buyers, and that the automatic cars have a better secondary resale market for females and males with, ahem, lower testosterone levels, cough, cough.

But seriously, if you think you will ever take this car someplace that has a curvy road (hard to find in some parts of Florida) or maybe one day go to Sebring or Daytona to do an open track day with other street cars, you should only consider a manual. Automatic transmissions often downshift in the middle of a corner as you are starting to apply power for the exit, which will unsettle the car and can cause a spin. For curvy two lane roads this is no bueno. The same is true for the track.

If you are only commuting and are going to be in a stop and go situation for more than 15 minutes out of each daily commute, you might be happier with the automatic. But when the road opens up, the manual will be much more fun.

As for reliability differences, I have heard nothing bad about any of them at this point.

Fuel economy differences are here.

 

^Agree. Manual is the way to go.

 

Thanks for the above.... Why does the Automatic not allow for a limited slip rear end?

 

VERY true. I have two Miata; the '91 for play(turbo'd and track ready) and a 2010 sedan(touring model) to take my wife on wine and cheese events.

You can pull the 2010 into manual mode and use the paddle shifters or shifter to select gears up and down, but it is no comparison to having the control of a manual gearbox. Whenever I take the 2010 on spirited back road runs it is in manual mode to keep it from shifting when I don't want it to do so.

 

Forgive me if i'm being lazy here and not looking for previous posts; but what does it take to add a turbo to a stock, say '08 or '09? Will a turbo really cause a shorter engine (and all other components) life? Assuming i'm not driving like a teenager... i'm 41...
Will a turbo dramatically affect fuel mileage? And lastly (since i'm still undecided on Auto or Manual) does this tranny choice limit my ability to add on the turbo?

 

Because Mazda knows the main demographic for auto trans Miatas is women over 50. No one buying it as a "sports car" would buy the auto so there is no need for the extra expense.

A mild turbo arrangement will not shorten the life of the engine. A turbo will not affect fuel mileage if the car is driven similarly. Some related changes may increase fuel economy due to more efficient engine aspiration. I'll step out on a limb here and say that it would be much more difficult to turbocharge an auto because you will be required to retain the stock engine ECU to control transmission operation. This was not the case in the first two generations of Miatas.