Used Precor 956i with 20K miles on it - good buy??? (Read 169 times)

Hi guys, new to the boards here.  I'm an average trail runner, 5 mile runs a few miles a week.  I'm really needing a treadmill for winter running and when I can't leave the kiddos.  I found a used Precor 956i with a bit over 20,000 miles on it at Play it Again Sports.  They are asking $799.  Considering this is a $6000 treadmill new, I'm thinking maybe this is a good deal??  I'm guessing the machine came from a gym or some commercial application.  Anyone have any experience  with this treadmill and if this is worth buying?  I appreciate the feedback!!!

THANKS!!

What about the Nordic Track elite series 3700, 5700, 7700. Any ideas? I certainly don't think I would wear out a treadmill, and I like the idea of a little screen to do a virtual run. I'm getting sick of staring at this painting on my friends wall.

Never mind, I found one on the Nordic Track website that looks sweet the Commercial 1750. I don't really know much about them at all. But, this one has the 7 inch screen and seems to be what I think I'm looking for.

There's two things to consider: does it offer the user experience that you need, and is it likely to stay in good working order for a few thousand miles? On the latter, you can tell a lot by running on it. Make sure it is plugged into a standard 15 amp outlet. Start out at a 3 mph walk and make sure it moves smoothly through the incline settings to the maximum, and back to zero. Gradually increase speed to 10K pace, and hold there for a few minutes. If it feels stable, with no bearing squeal, and it doesn't trip the machine's internal breaker or the outlet's breaker, it is good to go. On machines with bad decks and/or belts, it is often the case that the motor pulls too much current at the fast pace. Commercial TMs are a blessing and a curse. They are so nice to run on given how heavy and solid they feel, but they are difficult to move and take up a lot of floor space.

If I were buying a used one I would look for the manufacturing date and see if that series is still being produced or when it was last produced. That should give you an idea on the availability of parts.

About 4 years ago I was shopping for a treadmill. We ended up getting an elliptical but here was what I learned.

If you can buy the TM in a store like Sears or Dicks sporting goods it's best to stay away from them especially when they are used, unless they are really cheap.  The reason is that when they have a problem it is difficult to find someone to service them and most importantly to find parts. I was told that companies like Nordic Track will often change suppliers from year to year so spare parts may not be available.  I know of several people who bought new and used TM like these, they failed after a year or two and were not able to get them fixed because there were no parts available.

TM's like Precor, Landice, Spirit  and others that are found in places like your local fitness store or bike shop are more serviceable and parts can be found for years after they are manufactured. One sales and repair guy told me that he had just sold a new TM to a person who had the old one for something like 20- 25 years. It was still running but the electronics were patched together since  the new consoles were not compatible and they could no longer get repair parts.  That was either a Spirit or Percor, I don't remember which, but he described it as being used heavily by a very active family.

To me 20k sounds like a lot of miles but maybe it's not. I know my gym has a Precor that I used to be able to overheat and get it to shut down. Anything over 7.5 MPH at 8% grade would trip the internal breaker. The thing was old and well used.

My experience with treadmills:

Sole - treadmill lasted 3 years, probably around 3K miles on it.  IIRC I replaced the deck 7 times, and I was not shy about lubing it.  A few other parts too.  All under warranty.  I forget what the last breakdown was, but the warranty was out, so I jukes it.

NordicTrack Commercial 1750.  A real piece of junk.  Multiple consoles, multiple decks, a belt, a power button, a drive belt, speed sensor, and more.  All of this in only 18 months.  All under warranty.  Then the main board went.  I got them to declare it a lemon and refund the purchase price, and I ate the extended warranty I had paid for as price of time used.  It was down for parts almost as much as it was usable.

LifeSpan.  This has been the best of the three.  I'm about 3.5 years in now, I've replaced the deck once, and also the plastic cover over the motor.  It went through two consoles very quickly.  The current once has been covered in Saran wrap to keep the sweat out, and that has been the fix.  The safety key is a PIA, if it isn't angled just right and pulled to the correct tension with the string it will shut off.  Next I have an excuse, it'll get another new console to fix this.

Regarding all the cracked decks, I weighed about 150lbs at the time all those decks cracked.  I do run more miles on the treadmill than most people.  Between my wife and myself we can put 2K on a machine in a year.

Daydreamer, npaden and Spaniel, Thank you for the for the info, I really appreciate it.

Hey, I know you have to keep in shape for all those girls so I help a guy out.

Hello all,

 

Sorry to revive an old thread.... am new here and don't think I can start a new topic yet.

 

I am thinking of buying a used Life Fitness F3. Was manufactured in 2014, has 1020 hours and 6050 miles on it.

 

I know very little about treadmills but does this seem high to you? It looks in very good condition, makes no odd noises etc. but I was surprised that the mileage and hours seemed high?

 

Thanks for any advice.

How much?  Use doesn't seem that high, especially if there is more than one user in the home.