I’m going to buy an MX5 RF 2.0 ND2 184 as soon as lockdown is over, and am considering what is currently being advertised in all of the usual places.
There is one in particular that appeals, a 30th anniversary, 3k miles, one owner car, KN69UST is available at an MX5 specialist at £27k, and I wondered if anyone here used to own it or had any thoughts regarding the wisdom of buying a 20 month old special edition car at similar money to a new, but standard model?
Personally the colour, and that it has Recaro’s, Brembo’s, and BBS wheels are attractive, and the fact it’s a 30AE should help with long term residuals, although I accept there have been numerous other special edition MX5’s over the years.
Not sure if this is a little out of order, but having been fortunate enough to buy new cars for the last 20 years I’m probably a bit paranoid about buying a used one with a hidden or undesirable history.
All input gratefully received 
Thanks.
This 2019 Mazda MX-5 2.0 30th Anniversary Edition Convertible - £26,990 - CarGurus infers that it is over priced, but who knows.
The wheels are not BBS but are the correct Rays ones.
Looks good and clean to me, but at the top end of the price scale so it should be.
I have seen that ad previously and my first comment would be it is overpriced when compared to similarly listed cars.
Having taken a closer look, that specific one does have the optional Mazda Airdam body kit fitted (front splitter, side skirts and rear diffuser), not sure if that should bump the price that much though.
I was also going to make the comment Malc has, the 30th Anniversary had Rays wheels
It looks like prices are strong on all 184 models now. The increase in new prices at the beginning of last year due to new Co2 rules being a major contributor. Last July I paid nearly £20k for my ND2 2litre Sport Nav+ - 21 months old - 1 owner - less than 7000 miles. I love the Ceramic colour and it was the only one on Autotrader for sale when I was looking… Luckily it was pretty much perfect… 
If you find the car that’s right for you… buy it 
Nice clean looking car.
What will appeal to you, will not for some.
When I first saw it at launch, I really didn’t like the colour… but as time has passed it seems to get better.
Put an offer on it perhaps?
As it appeals to “you” buy it!
It’s only money at the end of the day.
PS- You won’t find a new one of those, so it makes sense perhaps.
My bad over the wheels - getting mixed up with other cars🙄.
I agree with your thoughts over price, although it seems a bit high sometimes it’s justified if the car is ‘as new’ and everything else checks out.
The body styling does finish the car off nicely IMO, although I’m not averse to fitting similar to another car if I have to. For me it’s mainly the 30AE thing that’s appealing. It’s not just another modified MX, it’s a bit different.
Appreciate your input.
Used car prices are strong at present but you’ll always get the odd overpriced cars. As many car dealers say, there’s an ar@ehol@ for every seat. Heck, look at the silly price on a back box someone on here recently advertised !! If you really like that car, bid them sensible money and if they reject, walk away. There’s always another one round the corner.
All the 30AE cars came with a presentation box which contained a booklet and a signed print. If it is missing then it could be a bargaining point.
Even carguru state that it is 3k over the market value.
I have never paid dealer’s nor manufacturer’s list price myself…
To answer your question: I do not know the car, but you could ask for the number of previous owners, and the car’s history. It might have been registered by Mazda as a demonsrrator first.
Or might have been sold by someone whose luck changed due to covid.
Or maybe the owner didn’t like the buffeting when the roof was down. Or they had a baby…
Young low mileage specialist cars are not necessarily dodgy.
It is over priced to be honest
It will still have the manufacturers warranty
The only thing besides the price , is the colour a be nightmare to address stone chips and if you are unfortunate enough to have a bang , the colour is a pain to match
I had an orange never again
Haven’t dealt with the dealer myself but they do have a very good reputation. Their stock may be priced high but by all accounts they do only stock the best.
I would have thought such a flat looking orange would be easy to match, actually.
Toy cars have it.
My partner’s BMW Z4 had an amazing light gold metallic paint which was matched perfectly by an outlet that doesn’t even specialise in paint jobs. It made me believe that any paint can be matched nowadays, as long as the shine of the lacquer applied on top is right.
Stone chips are a doddle with the Mazda touch up paint. The colour is an exact match. If you like it go for it.
The seats are worth the money alone! Seriously they are so much better than the ‘standard’ offerings.
If it were me I’d ask myself how would I feel if someone got in before me, would I be disappointed or a bit relieved. If it’s the former you could test the water with an offer, they might knock a bit off the price. If, as it seems, it is a bit overpriced they would probably expect you to haggle a bit. Good luck.
Sounds expensive to me, but they may be making sure they have some haggling space; mine’s done over 10k now so value would be lower. The air dams etc kit is nice but whether it adds value as opposed to cost is down to the buyer/viewer. The solid colours are much easier to touch up than any metallic car of any make.
There are three other AE30RFs on Autotrader at the moment 2 are cheaper and one demo/new at £30k if you want as new.
Depends whether you like orange or not! If you do then this or one of the other three is your only option at the moment, I also think there hasn’t been another edition (yet) with the same suspension / wheels and most importantly seats which are great - though I would recommend a test first as I am well within government BMI recommendation and am nicely wedged in but any wider sterns would feel the Recaros framing, I felt that this less of an issue on the standard seats which you sit more on rather than in.