Wow! Agreed - that would have been quite a catch as a 5-speed.
Last summer I spotted an improbably pristine looking, un-modified,
1989-ish Civic DX hatch. I went over to have a peek, and it was indeed all original. I peeked in the window and the odometer said 60k km (~40k miles). Also automatic.
Your story makes me think: I bet the vast majority of ultra-low miles/km used cars are automatics, because I figure the majority of ultra-low miles/km cars are owned by seniors.