ND and NC are miles apart price wise unless you’re going for a very late NC 3.75
A decent 2.0 Sport can be had for £5-6k with low miles and fsh, I should know mine is on the market and I have been looking at the market regularly checking to see what’s going on.
Dealership put their prices up too high, it’s driven up the private market but unless people want to hold on to their cars for 6 months before they sell then these prices are unrealistic. Just another example of people trying to cash in, this time due to a microchip shortage and inability for dealers to supply new vehicles.
I personally wouldn’t be touching any NC that is ND money. I think the early ND is the one to avoid, gearbox seems problematic on the 2.0
I think within about 2 years all these used car prices will fall off a cliff.
Having never owned an MX-5, I was faced with the “what version do I buy” dilemma a couple of years back. I found a US video on YouTube where they did a review and drive of all 4 versions. That helped a bit. In the end I decided it had to have heated seats and PRHT. I found a completely standard 2010 Sport Tech at a local dealer with 42K, and it’s been great. It hadn’t started to rot, so I had it Dinitrolled to make sure it doesn’t. Mark at Total 5s has done all servicing and fixed the inevitable water leaks. He’s highly recommended. Apart from that it’s done 10K fuss free miles, mostly with the roof down, even in winter.
So I’d say
Decide what your “must have’s” and budget are
Check properly underneath. Don’t just rely on a recent MOT with no advisories.
Make sure the PRHT works smoothly - It’s main dealer territory if you have problems