I currently own a 94 Miata, I must of got the short end of the stick with mine. I bought one with 90K for a great price. Bought it on a Friday, autocrossed it on that Sunday, fun but was not up to par with the other Miata guys. So obviously something didn't seem right, the car felt ass slow and was down on power. Long story short, motor was junk, had water marks in the cyl head. I wound up doing a complete engine rebuild on it.
The car was rock solid Florida car except it had front and rear bumper paint fade. Honestly, I would probably hold out for a car with a good body and worry less about the motor. Body work is a lot more than motor work. I found out the hard way.
<excuse the grammar it's sat. and it has been a long day>
p.s. I would never think about owning an automatic. You might as well just buy a Fiesta.