Celestron c8 or nexstar 8 used values

[steve591]

How much would you value a good condition nexstar8 (se) at?

And the same again for a c8 with a skywatcher eq5 mount?

[MarsG76]

that depends on which country you're selling it in... I'd say 50-60% of its purchase price...

[brantuk]

The 8SE is £1129 brand new - I wouldn't want to pay more than £700 absolute tops for it under a year old and in full working order complete with original accessories. I'd be looking to get it for around £600 to £650 (or less if older).

The C8 on it's own is £779 brand new - So i'd be looking to buy second hand in the similar condition for around £450 - certainly no more than £500 and a lot less if older.

A basic EQ5 with no motors nor Synscan is £239 new - so again as above condition £130-£140 - £150 tops.

But of course - it all depends on your bargaining skills and the inclusion of extras and how amenable the seller is to accepting offers - do ask them first and inspect everything in fine detail before parting with cash. Hth

[We_Can_Breathe_In_Space]

I agree with the two previous posts, that was the price range I was looking at. With extras included (crayford focuser, power tank, dew shield etc) I was happy to purchase even if it was older.

Sam

[steve591]

With regards to the c8, how can you tell how old it is? Has there been different revisions released? Also, would i be right in guessing the eq5 mount is more stable than a standard mount on a nexstar 8? (For what its worth im looking at an eq5 syncscan mount)

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[LukeSkywatcher]

I agree with others who say that if a scope (or any astro gear for that matter) is in good condition and not too old, that 50-60% of the retail price is a fair deal.

[John]

The C8 has been around for 40+ years so there have been many versions !

The Nexstar started with the Nexstar, then the Nexstar i then the Nexstar SE and now the Nexstar Evolution I think with each interation having a more feature-rich mount. The optical tube has stayed basically the same except for the coatings which have improved over the years as well.

The CG5 equatorial mount (Celestrons version of the EQ5) handled a C8 pretty well for visual observing. It's probably more stable than the single armed Nexstar mount with the same optica tube on board.

[LukeSkywatcher]

The C8 has been around for 40+ years so there have been many versions !

The Nexstar started with the Nexstar, then the Nexstar i then the Nexstar SE and now the Nexstar Evolution I think with each interation having a more feature-rich mount. The optical tube has stayed basically the same except for the coatings which have improved over the years as well.

The CG5 equatorial mount (Celestrons version of the EQ5) handled a C8 pretty well for visual observing. It's probably more stable than the single armed Nexstar mount with the same optica tube on board.

Wow. I had no idea the C8 was that old. I dont think i'd like to pay 50-60% of the retail price for a 40 yr old scope.

[brantuk]

"how can you tell how old it is?"

You can always ask the seller - most folks are pretty honest about this - but if in doubt you can ask if they have the original receipt - you'd be surprised how many do. If you know all the revisions then you can use that as a guide. More generally the condition is a good indicator - if there's any serious dents or rust or scratches then you can assume it's either been outside a lot and well used, or old and battered. Either of these I'd want a reduction for.

The Nexstar default mount is alt/az whereas the EQ5 is equatorial - totally different mounts. As for stability imho, the EQ5's are more stable with beefier legs and more centrally weighted in different orientations. The default alt/az is a single arm - I'd personally want a two arm alt/az mount for a scope of this size and weight. I did have the CPC800 which was rock solid compared to the single arm equivalent of the same OTA - but it's tripod was beefier than the SE8. You can of course use an AVX equatorial mount which is better still - equiv to the SW HEQ5. Hth

[John]

Wow. I had no idea the C8 was that old. I dont think i'd like to pay 50-60% of the retail price for a 40 yr old scope.

The older ones do look different from the more recent ones. Here is an interesting history of the C8:

http://www.scopereviews.com/C8History.html

Mr Spock had one !

The only ones that I believe need to be avoided are the ones made in the run up to the return of Halley's Comet in 1986. It's fairly well known (as the article says) that Celestron and Meade relaxed their quality control to enable demand to be met during the 12 months or so preceding that event.

I owned a 1990's C8+ for a while and it was optically very good

[LukeSkywatcher]

The older ones do look different from the more recent ones. Here is an interesting history of the C8:

http://www.scopereviews.com/C8History.html

Mr Spock had one !

The only ones that I believe need to be avoided are the ones made in the run up to the return of Halley's Comet in 1986. It's fairly well known (as the article says) that Celestron and Meade relaxed their quality control to enable demand to be met during the 12 months or so preceding that event.

I owned a 1990's C8+ for a while and it was optically very good

I'll be sure to read that link. Certainly has changed quite a bit over the yrs.

I dont think i'll be taking my 8SE for long walks on the beach any time soon.