At least in the US, I don't see within 10 years anything changing much. An '02 will be 13 years old, and '05 will be 10. They're not collector items at 10 years old, they're just old, so you'd get more money for the newer car.
Similar logic to Miatas (mx-5s) , which were quite popular when they arrive in the early 90s. They haven't become collectable, especially since the newest models are still made, and Mazda didn't 'screw up' the design, just subtily evolved it, (in my view similar to what MINI has done for the '05s)
Right, the point. The older then Miata, the less its worth, because its just down to the same things for any car, age, condition and milage.
Check back in 25 years or more when MINIs are classics, and we'll see, but until then, its not a big deal. And as far as in 25 years, I suspect there will be the 'cool' versions, like however many HP they finally decide to put in a
JCW, so that might be the most sought after one, regardless of what year or Mk it is.