Opinions on these two used MX5s?

[KTF]

I have been been keeping one eye on MX5 for sale locally with an eye to spend up to £8k. So far these two are on the list to visit at the weekend:

Mazda MX-5 1.8i [Option Pack]
2006, 42,000 miles, 1.8L, £5990



Or for £1500 more there is one that is 3.5 years younger. Its a facelift model but with higher mileage.

Mazda MX-5 I SE 1.8
2010, 54,584 miles, 1.8L, £7495



Would you go for the older one or pay a bit more and get the younger facelift model?

I only do 3-4k a year mainly to/from work so of the two I am leaning towards the younger version as the milage will balance out over time.

Both have full Mazda service history, etc. but is there any cambelt interval to worry about or is the 1.8 a camchain - thinking that 60k might be big fill time - and anything in general that I should be aware of to check for?

From the pictures they look OK but which one of the two would be your preference?

[KTF]

Thanks for the advice.

Having looked at both I preferred the facelift version. Both drove fine but neither had cruise (I knew this in advance) and already having this on my existing car (despite the low mileage that I do) I decided I would prefer one with it.

The hard top version and/or slightly younger ones again slightly outside of my price range seem to have it as standard so I am happy to wait for the time being until one with it comes up. The prices might ease a bit once the sunny weather comes to an end as well.

Ian_c_uk: I am on the south coast and your profile says you are in the North West. Is your car the one in Greater Manchester in the classifieds?

[KTF]

Thanks. It may be daft but am used to having cruise so its a must have a the moment.

Good luck with the sale. Looks great in the pictures.