Should I buy a car that has missed a service?

I test drove a Mazda MX-5 1.5 yesterday. I liked it and the condition appears to be very good. It was registered in April 2022 so is just over 3 years old and it has 37,000 miles on the clock which is a bit high but as I don't tend to do high mileage now I do not mind. The dealership had said it has a FSH but in fact the owner was very late with a service, so it had 29,000 on the clock between service one and two before he/she had it serviced. So, it had a service at 5000 miles, a service at 34,000 miles (at an approved Mazda garage so it is on the digital service record, though it was recorded late) and a service at 37,000 miles by the Mazda dealership now selling it. Should I avoid it because of this blip please? Will it have damaged the engine, or will it be tricky when I come to sell it in the future? (I did ask you a question about another Mazda with a similar issue which I did not buy in the end for another reason. They do seem to have this issue.)
Models such as the Mazda MX-5 are often second cars and so regular servicing can sometimes be overlooked. A total of 29,000 miles between services is undesirable, but the chances of it having caused damage to engine are small, helped by the fact it had another service only 3000 miles later. Whether to avoid it or not because of this is a personal choice, whether you want to hold out for a perfect example that has a flawless service history, or take a small chance on this car.
Answered by David Ross on

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