Well, had a good couple of hours Mazdaing it. Went to see two but only drove one.
The one I drove was a 2007 1.8. They feel quite nice to drive, although the gearbox took a lot of getting used to - the gears are so closely grouped, instead of going from 2nd to 3rd I went straight into 5th gear. After a few gear changes I got used to it.
The sills are a MOT advisory due to rust, but the rest of the body seemed very clean & rust free, inc the wheel arches.
The leather seats & bolsters need a bit of TLC and the gear knob has seen better days.
The car is in standard form other than he's fitted Bluetooth.
The 2013 one is a hard top and there is rust bubble around the bottom of the roof. Couldn't be bothered to drive it after he told me I couldn't park my car in his parking bay - he is a back street Arthur Daley.
How did the 2007 version drive? Quite nice, the steering was precise and it handled the bends well; no clonks from the suspension - nothing nasty. However, I'm not sure, given the reputation, whether I was expecting too much from a £3500 85k miles car, but I wasn't blown away by the driving experience. Nothing wrong with it, just didn't have the X factor I hoped for.