Miata Mailing List: May 1993, Message #206
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   From: (none)
Subject: Re: Packages
   Date: (none)

jamesm@voyager.austin.ibm.com (James Miller) writes:

> Hmm -- just out of *morbid* curiousity -- has anyone ever driven one of these
> babies with a (gasp) automatic gearbox?  Was it recognizable as a Miata?

    When I was on vacation in California I rented a blue '93 with
an automatic transmission.  (Hertz, in its infinite wisdom, bought a
whole fleet of the things with automatics!)  By the end of the week, I
could pretty much control what gear the thing was in through
judicious use of the O/D-Off switch, selector and kickdown.  There was
still a problem with the kickdown causing undesired downshifts, which
I never solved.  It's not as powerful as the manual, four speeds
aren't as nice as five, and automatics just aren't as much fun to
drive as manuals.  Having said all that, it still basically felt like
a Miata, and I'm glad I rented it.  I'm also glad I own a manual.