I'm currently looking at buying a mk7 Zs but have a limited budget of £5500. I've seen some 09ish models with 70-80k on them and a few 11ish models with 20-30k but are repaired Cat D's. I don't know what would be a safer buy. Is 80k ok with things like 1 owner and FSH? I, myself only drive about 4k annually.

Thanks for any help.

As a means of comparison, I bought my 09 Zetec S in August for £7k after a £300 trade in. While I think I may have paid a slightly premium price, I was buying a car that was absolutely mint in condition, had only 24500 miles on the clock and came with all the optional extra, tints, 17” alloys, etc. I also wangled out some tax, fresh MOT, re-service and love that it is under a one year warranty. Needless to say, we are in March and nothing has gone wrong with it at all!

When you have low mileage yourself, buying one with higher mileage isn't too bad as you bring the yearly average down. You'll be wanting to check all the service history though with a magnifying glass!