Transmission
 

Hello... New here.. See if I can get some help...
I have a 2002 mx5 and I love it, however .. I do not love the automatic transmission! ... Is it possible to change it?
Many thanks ... :-)

Excuse me for not specifying... Change it to a stick shift..

Yes, a manual transmission can be installed in its place. It will need to be a 99-05 trans for the speedometer to work. I *think* the ECU is different which may trigger a check engine light and nothing more. If that bothers you, swap for a stock ECU or go aftermarket. Lots of guys add turbos and remove stock ECUs so they are easy and cheap to find. You will want to find a donor car for the pedals, hangars, and hydraulics.

The 5 speeds are cheaper than the 6 speeds and they both have the same top gear ratio so there is no benefit in economy to one versus the other. First gear is very low in the 6 speeds. The 6 speeds also have a balky shifter that is often replaced with aftermarket.

Good luck.