Automatic Alternative: 1992 Mazda Miata – Sold?

November 26, 2022, Update – We just confirmed the listing for this “Classifind” expired, so with no replacement found, we’re assuming this ride is “Sold?” While this one got away, please reach out either by email or call us directly if you’d like to be informed when we come across something similar.

October 17, 2022 Update – The seller just replaced their second Craigslist ad with a fresh listing.  While the pictures and description remain the same, the seller reduced their asking price to $11,995.

September 12, 2022 Update – The seller of this Mariner Blue 1992 Mazda Miata just replaced their original Craigslist ad with a fresh listing.  In it, the pictures, description, and $12,500 asking price all remain the same.

The automatic versus manual debate: will it ever end, especially as more cars lose the option to shift it yourself? I suspect we will see this argument die out. However, I can still remember being in high school and knowing that the superiority of three pedals was never to be questioned. At the same time, if you drove an automatic car that could have come with a stick, your manhood was immediately questioned. In the case of a Miata like this one, first listed in August 2022 on Craigslist near Boston, Massachusetts, manhood really isn’t anything you should be concerned about. Still, choosing between a two-seater roadster with a five-speed and a slushbox is a worthwhile discussion. Is the driving experience automatically enhanced simply because you can row your own gears? I would argue that you should want three pedals in a light sports car that’s not particularly bullish on horsepower. The Miata is listed for $12,500, and the Classic.com model guide shows an average sale price of just under $12,000, so the ask here seems fair.

The host of the Shooting Cars YouTube Channel walks you through the pros and cons of daily driving a first-generation Mazda Miata:

However, this particular Miata we’re considering today gives some additional pause in the two verses three-pedal debate. That’s because it wears a rare color called Mariner Blue which you don’t see that often. We recently wrote that the worth of a Miata is often derived from its options packages, but that’s because most of them appear in one of a handful of standard colors like white, black, or red. The paint code is rarely a factor because it’s so infrequent that a unique color comes up for grabs. With its smurf blue paint and just 24,000 miles on the clock, this car is a potential specimen to either be preserved as a time-warp survivor or convert to a manual gearbox and likely only increase the value higher as a result. Either way, you can’t go wrong – the preservation crowd will love it, and if you swap it, the enthusiast crowd will applaud your efforts. Good luck with the purchase – and the transmission swap! – if you take this Mariner Blue survivor home.

Here’s the seller’s description:

“Low mileage 24000 K MILES, 1992 smurf Mariner Blue Miata, AC, PW, PB, PS, Great Top & Window Runs great. No Rust. The car is in Peabody Mass test drive anytime.“

Color or transmission: which is a more important factor to you when considering a classic car?