Buying issues in the UK
 

Hi it's my first post in here. If any of my threads are reposts or in the wrong section please PM me rather than rage at me and I will contact a Mod to have the thread moved or removed. I have a few questions which are specific to the UK so I thought I would come here and see if anyone can help me out.

Im looking at buying an 8 in a couple of months time. Are bad cars being sold as good (low compression is my main concern) a big problem in the UK? Are mazda dealers in the UK happy to do a compression test of a car and around much does it cost? How are UK dealers with servicing? Basically if a car has a decent service history would this indicate the car has been looked after or do dealerships have known issues servicing the rotarys?

Also what is the difference between the 192 and the 231? Are the engines the same basic build? Basically can a 192 be converted to a 231 and if so how difficult is it do do so?

Thanks in advance!

Short answer about converting: no you cant.

4port vs 6port. ECU, intake manifold, wiring, etc. Well, you can, but lots of trouble and will cost you more than trading up.

Converting costs more than buying the hipower one from the beginning.

Maintenance wise yes, 99.9% of uk cars are kept like crap, most of them may also be rusting to death.

Where do most UK cars start to rust? What would you reccomend looking for when views cars to buy?

Rust underneath, like every car does.

I would ask about the followed maintenance schedule. If they changed the oil every 10-12k miles stay away from it. If they didn't change the plugs at least every 30k, same.
Catalytic converter, coils etc are all items that should be inspected and\or replaced (the coils especially).
Compression test... fundamental. No good test, no purchase.

Yeah I intend on doing this. How much do Mazda charge for a test?

i have no idea, i think anything between £50 and £75.

ok cheers i will have to give mazda a ring. what information should they be able to give me from a comp test if they do it properly? also is it reasonable for me a reuqest some sort of print out or record of the test results?

Yes, it is reasonable to ask for the results. You are looking for 2 sets of 3 numbers, with a cranking speed. The numbers could be scaled one of 3 ways, so don't get locked in looking for PSI or for BAR specifically.