Selling RX-8, do a compression test or drop price?

[Fastdruid]

We're (sadly) selling our RX-8, think we've put it up for a fair price but after two weeks only had one sniff.

Had a suggestion that it looks good from the ad but do a compression test and stick it on PH and it'd easily sell.

Thing is that a compression test is about £120, so would it be better to do the test, or drop the price by the same amount?

Failing that any suggestions for somewhere apart from Mazda in the West Midlands that will do an RX-8 compression test (its not something any old garage can do).

I won't post a link to it but searching ebay for "RX-8 silver 231 leather" would probably find it pretty quickly

[Somnophore]

Compression test, cost £120 will probably save you 3-400 in negotiations. I wouldn't buy one without a compression test and no amount of discount would induce me to do so. Definitely get it tested.

[Fastdruid]

Its not the same as a piston engine which only has one 'chamber' per sparkplug.

Because its a three sided rotor you get three 'pulses' from each rotor side plus you need to know the rpm (Mazda specify the compression at 250rpm). Theoretically you could watch the needle bounce (which should all be the same) but that's useless to then use that to sell the car off.

[TheTurbonator]

Somnophore said:

Compression test, cost £120 will probably save you 3-400 in negotiations. I wouldn't buy one without a compression test and no amount of discount would induce me to do so. Definitely get it tested.

This. Knocking just a £120 off won't create any more interest you'd have to knock a few hundred off to tempt people. £120 to get a compression test done is a lot cheaper than losing £400 on a sale.

[hornetrider]

TheTurbonator said:

Somnophore said:

Compression test, cost £120 will probably save you 3-400 in negotiations. I wouldn't buy one without a compression test and no amount of discount would induce me to do so. Definitely get it tested.

This. Knocking just a £120 off won't create any more interest you'd have to knock a few hundred off to tempt people. £120 to get a compression test done is a lot cheaper than losing £400 on a sale.

Thirded.

[PaulB81]

If you do get it done and want to see some example results, I have the output from my compression test saved on my RX8 which had warm start issues so you can see how close it is to being broken (if at all)

[Fastdruid]

Somewhat of a consensus then.

Its annoying when you *know* a car is good but I can understand it from the other side.

So RX-8 compression testing in the West Midlands, anywhere other than Mazda?

[randlemarcus]

Devils advocate mode - you've had a compression test done? What are you worried about?

[Mark Benson]

Fastdruid said:

Somewhat of a consensus then.

Its annoying when you *know* a car is good but I can understand it from the other side.

It's not that it would cost me £120 (if I were a buyer) to get a compression test, it's that you weren't prepared to put your money up and prove to me your car's a good 'un.

[Fastdruid]

doogz said:

Fastdruid said:

Its not the same as a piston engine which only has one 'chamber' per sparkplug.

Because its a three sided rotor you get three 'pulses' from each rotor side plus you need to know the rpm (Mazda specify the compression at 250rpm). Theoretically you could watch the needle bounce (which should all be the same) but that's useless to then use that to sell the car off.

If they specify 250rpm, how do you replicate that? Surely you get whatever speed the starter motor turns at?

Honestly, I don't know. Faster is better wrt actual starting but how you get from the actual tested values to compare to the specifications I don't know. I assume there is some kind of correction factor or calculation involved.

[MEC]

My local Mazda main dealer has a car of the same age under it's approved used scheme for £4295. (winning blue, '06 plate 40K miles)

Bottom line, it's overpriced.

[Fastdruid]

06 plate is £200 / year more in VED and it has 6k more on. To put it another way that's a 17% higher mileage and who knows what state the car is actually in. We went to see loads of cars before buying this one and some were right sheds. Including one with scratches on *every* panel (including the roof, how I don't know how). All looked very nice in pictures on the dealers websites...

Prices are all over the shop for RX-8's, some wildly optimistic, some "I need to sell it today". For a good low mileage car with only two owners and a FSH I don't feel its an unreasonable price but we'll see. I guess a compression test will help it sell no matter what price it goes for.

[marcosgt]

Do the compression test.

People want to know the engine's sound, so if you drop the price they'll still quibble about getting it done and you'll probably end up paying for it.

If it's not sound, well you'll know where you stand and will have to sell it in that state.

M.

[wolves_wanderer]

doogz said:

Fastdruid said:

Its not the same as a piston engine which only has one 'chamber' per sparkplug.

Because its a three sided rotor you get three 'pulses' from each rotor side plus you need to know the rpm (Mazda specify the compression at 250rpm). Theoretically you could watch the needle bounce (which should all be the same) but that's useless to then use that to sell the car off.

If they specify 250rpm, how do you replicate that? Surely you get whatever speed the starter motor turns at?

There is a graph to standardise the results.

[PaulB81]

This explains it. These are the results from my broken RX8

[LawAys]

As a buyer, I would probably rather have the compression test done upon my request/negotiation than go out looking only at cars that have had recent tests.

[Fastdruid]

Having spoken to Coventry Mazda, it's £85 +VAT but then they also test the coils and sparkplugs at the same time.

[Superhoop]

If you've spoken to Coventry Mazda, I'd guess they're your closest dealer?

If so, have you spoken to Hurley Engineering? They are a rotary specialist, based also in Coventry

[Fastdruid]

I emailed them (I phoned but it rang out), no reply as yet.

Coventry Mazda isn't my 'local' Mazda dealers but the closest one to work so can get there in the week (Saturdays at dealers tend to be booked up weeks in advance).

[SLacKer]

doogz said:

wolves_wanderer said:

There is a graph to standardise the results.

So why can't it be done at home with a £20 tool? Why does it need to go to a garage and cost £100+?

I guess the answer is how do you prove that it is OK to the potential buyer. A receipt from a registered business goes a long way to showing that it is OK.

A neighbour (in fact two neighbours) have an RX8 and he cleaned the plugs the other week which required front wheels off and removal of a arch guard and there are two plugs each side. They were a pig to remove and were rusted a little. I suppose you could do the test in front of the potential buyer but it would get old pretty quick.