I just wanted to collect peoples thoughts.

A newer car with a few more miles, or an older car with less miles?

In my example I've gone for a black MX-5 2010 (60 reg) with 34k miles on the clock and love it.

The garage also have and are happy to swap a aluminium silver 2009 (59 reg) with 15k miles on the clock.

Both the same spec, one owner and FSH.

Subject to them not selling the 2009 tomorrow which I expect they will. They've said I can have it instead of the 2010 if I want.

Both are priced the same and are identical except colour. I like both colours but think black is a bit nicer.

Chances are I'll be taking the 2010 as I expect the silver will be sold tomorrow to someone who has paid a holding deposit to test drive it.

Just wanted to see what others would do if they had a choice between the two purely out of curiosity...

A car that's nearly 5 years old but only done 15k may not be good. Suggests lots of short trips, that's only about 4k a year. What's the service history like?

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Both full dealer history. Both ex contract hire from Lex auto lease.

I always buy the newest I can and ignore the mileage, just make sure the service history is good. Doing this you usually get a slightly better spec car as well since kit is usually added along the way.

That's just not true I have a Blackline runs from Lancs to Scottish Highlands there and back every month had it since Oct 12 and it's only done long runs 5000 miles on the clock, my wife's car is a Hyundai i10 Active auto does all the local runs so does this make my Octavia a bad buy, I think not, my advice check the history fully who owned it and how it was used etc not always possible, not sure don't buy it.

Buy the 59plate 20k less miles and only a year older! It may even be a late 59 plate so may only be a couple of months between the cars.

If you don't go for the lower mileage one i think you'd be daft

And don't listen to the low mileage nonesense its a petrol non turbo so hardly matters. Probably gets a good run at the weekends (obviously someones weekend car)

Edited 10 June, 201412 yr by BigJase88

And I've seen a car with similar mileage and age in which the clutch was dead, the exhaust was dead and the battery was on its way out.

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Differences between the 2 cars are minmal here, choose the one YOU like best.

And I've seen a car with similar mileage and age in which the clutch was dead, the exhaust was dead and the battery was on its way out.

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Yes never buy a low mileage car

Sounds like you was looking at a korean lemon

Am I correct in thinking that leased cars have to be serviced correctly as part of the agreement so should both be maintained properly? Both have FSH and mazda have an electronic record unless done by an independent garage.

Both are September registered so a year between them.

Its all down to how its been used.

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Am I correct in thinking that leased cars have to be serviced correctly as part of the agreement so should both be maintained properly? Both have FSH and mazda have an electronic record unless done by an independent garage.

Both are September registered so a year between them.

Had a few vans bought from a company selling ex lex lease vans they came with full Vx service history at correct intervals everything all in order! Those were the better ones we have had to be fair!

Buy the 59plate 20k less miles and only a year older! It may even be a late 59 plate so may only be a couple of months between the cars.

If you don't go for the lower mileage one i think you'd be daft

And don't listen to the low mileage nonesense its a petrol non turbo so hardly matters. Probably gets a good run at the weekends (obviously someones weekend car)

Not necessarily. I've had mine since September 28th, and I've done about 2800 miles in it. I just go to work and back each day at about a 10 mile round trip, then go and see my mum every Sunday and to the shop on Saturday. I bought it with 47500 ish miles on it on an 11 reg. Hopefully with the miles I put on it it will even it out and become an average mile car by the time I want to sell it and I won't have lost that much money on it.

Our car was low mileage but older than some others at a similar price.

 

It's been spot on.

 

It all depends how it's been treat in it's life no matter how long or short that may be.

 

As above there's little in terms of age between them so I'd be tempted to go for the 09 plate one.

 

Phil

34k on a 10 plate is below average for the year in the first instance but being an mx5 they often tend to have lower annual mileage as they are not always the main daily drive.

I'd go newer on this example and provided your annual mileage is not excessive, it should remain sensible.

Edited 10 June, 201412 yr by Defenderben

My rule is to always go for older and lower mileage.

 

I've only ever bought used cars for the past 20 years, and in my experience the above policy gives you much less trouble than buying newer with higher mileage. Having said that, in by book 15,000 miles vs 34,000 miles........are both pretty low mileages in the grand scheme of things.  

Edited 10 June, 201412 yr by booke23

Thanks for all the replies guys.

I went to have a look a the silver one this evening as it is at another garage (same group - Magna Mazda) which is about 30 miles from me. I turned up around 9pm and noticed the dash lit up and key in the ignition. Doors unlocked and no one to be seen. There was a dodgy 2nd hand car place next door and there was an older man lingering about looking a bit suspect.

I asked him if he knew about it and he didn't. I phoned the police as it was all a little odd. Obviously someone had gone home and forgot about the keys in the car. The bloke eventually cleared off in his van and police turned up. By which time I had found a paracetamol box in my glove box and posted the keys through the letter box as instructed by the control room person hidden inside the box.

Very strange as I suddenly had the urge to go and see this car this evening and the above happens...

Anyway, the silver one is nice but I think I prefer the black one colour wise. 34k miles is pretty low and both are in good condition so happy with the black one I've gone for but may consider the silver if it isn't bought tomorrow.

Edited 10 June, 201412 yr by austenw90

Its strange, we have two cars in the family, I have always had the more modern car i.e. the 56 plate Octavia and now the 55 plate Mondeo ST both roughly the same mileages 90000 odd, but SWMBO's Micra is a 2002 plate 1.0 S model and has just ticked over 40000 and has barely needed anything doing on it, I guess it goes down to what people have said before it is how the car has been treated!

As long as the service history is good there should be no problem with both

Austen, if it were me and based on the fact that 34k on a 60 plate car is still not high, I'd buy the black one.

Austen, if it were me and based on the fact that 34k on a 60 plate car is still not high, I'd buy the black one.

Agreed. And Austen we can the both complain together at how terrible a black car looks after collecting every spec of dust available in the West Meon hut car park

Drive the other one and see what it feels like. Might be a bag of spanners compared the first.

Bit of a problem now... I am now told that they cannot locate the 2nd service record on the black one. It must have been done as it was a lease car (Lex Autolease) but it doesn't show on the Mazda electronic database as it should and there isn't any paperwork to confirm. Lex won't speak to anyone but the person who leased the car from them about it - data protection apparently.

 

When I first looked at it at the weekend it was advertised as FULL SERVICE HISTORY as were all their cars. They say they don't take cars without a FSH. However over the weekend the Mazda system was down for maintenance. This is true as 2 dealers told me the same and showed me. So I left a holding deposit based on this promise.

 

The silver one and another one now which is a blue 60 plate with 28k miles both have FSH and they've got complete records.

 

I've said now that if the silver one does sell (waiting to hear) then I'll take the blue one, if not I'll look at both the blue and silver again and drive them both.

 

EDIT: managed to speak to someone at Lex. They said the car would have been serviced properly and at the correct intervals as this is part of the contractual agreement with all of their cars. They just say it is a case of paperwork being misplaced etc.

Edited 11 June, 201412 yr by austenw90

Stick with the black one, If its a contractual agreement it must have been done, i would still be happy to buy it.

 

But saying that, What sort of blue is the blue one???

Stick with the black one, If its a contractual agreement it must have been done, i would still be happy to buy it.

 

But saying that, What sort of blue is the blue one???

 

Its dark blue (Stormy Blue).

 

It's the one without photos yet but the same colour as the pre-facelifted blue one...

 

http://www.magna-mazda.co.uk/used-mazda/search/?used-car-search%5BfranchiseDetailId%5D=25&used-car-search%5BsearchType%5D=used&keyword=&used-car-search%5BautoMarqueDetailId%5D=55&used-car-search%5BautoModelDetailId%5D=472&used-car-search%5BlowerPrice%5D=8000&used-car-search%5Bprice%5D=12000&used-car-search%5BminAge%5D=&used-car-search%5BmaxAge%5D=&used-car-search%5BautoTransmissionDetailId%5D=&used-car-search%5Bvariant%5D=&used-car-search%5BengineSizeLitre%5D=&used-car-search%5BautoBodyStyleDetailId%5D=&used-car-search%5Bdoors%5D=&used-car-search%5BlocationDetailId%5D=&used-car-search%5BgenericColour%5D=&used-car-search%5BautoFuelTypeDetailId%5D=&used-car-search%5Bmileage%5D=&postcode=