Why not buy a mk1 now, and if you feel the need, trade up for a mk2 in a year or twos time...
The mk1s 2nd hand values have been steadily dropping for some time, and theyre now a steal at £13-15k, but Ive also noticed that theyve stayed steady at that figure for some time now, and dont seem to be dropping any lower, which means that theyve gone through their initial depreciation, and are holding their value now.
When they stop making the mk2 in October, the prices of both versions will probably stay steady - i.e. if you cant buy a new one, and the old ones get gradually written off and scrapped, they become rarer and rarer, so the values should hold.
Check out the price of a 12 year old Escort Cosworth and youll see what I mean - theyre still fetching £12k+
So if you buy a mk1 now, and keep it for 1-2 years, youll probably lose very little money, and *might* even make a small profit if the values start rising again (as happened with the Escort Cos), and then you can trade up for a mk2 - everyones a winner!
BUY NOW - YOULL LOVE IT!
p.s. Send a PM to Scotty6R4 - Hes got mk1 & mk2 bumpers in stock, so will be able to compare them side by side to tell you whether theyre interchangable.
Cheers,
Dave