Used Goods

[Hypoxic]

Seriously. I know a lot of you purchase used; how does that go for you? I see some real deals out there but I’m kind of messed up mentally because I’m hobbled engineeringly (being that I’ve worked in the engineering field, not that I’m engineeringly challenged). I’m afraid that former owner/builder has completely missed the mark and doomed the build from the get-go. What have you seen in that regard? Are the deals worth it or not? I know the divorce deal is the best but hard to spot and usually goes in 5 seconds flat.

For example, I know when to feel a screw screaming, I’m about to strip threads!

[Grumpy pants]

Joyful, I’ve picked up many good deals over the years.

It’s a bit like internet dating, most listings are honest, however some turn out to be stinkers 😂

[naturbo2000]

Mostly worth it - there are always surprises. Sometimes there are corners cut, the wrong screws, often screws over-tightened etc. But there are sometimes things you couldn't know when purchased - sure you can see obvious things like a motor included, but it might turn out to be a sport tuned, the car might be fully ballraced without being listed as such, It might have blue bling buried within the gearbox. Sometimes the buyer doesn't know what they're selling and no other bidders have spotted the rarity or unusualness of a part (like a slipper included that would be a hop-up).

What I try to do is make sure that even if I'm wide of the mark regarding condition, some of the things that make a used purchase special convert into being "expensive" rather than making the purchase worthless, i.e. if it has some components that are hard to come by at all. I spent "regular TRF201" money on a used example with a job lot of unopened spares - at current prices, they're worth 50% or more of what I paid. As I intended to (and already have) run it, that was a pretty good deal for me.

[gogsyfinnie]

Timely one this for me!

I’d agree with mostly worth it!  Recent experience was a bit disastrous though, an M05 v2 Pro where the builder had doomed the build by loctiting everything into plastic 🫣  New chassis and new knuckles, full nut and bolt rebuild with the kids last week and tested at the track last night.  A few other “builder errors” fixed and it now handles very nicely.

 

That is my only negative experience, an unbuilt fat fox saved me about £40 and is a regular racer and was as new.  Finally an M08 from a certain Grumpy Pants is my main racer and now has two 2nd places in our club series to its name!  My favourite car for the track and really got it dialled in now.

So for me it can be a roll of the dice out in ebay, but M08 and a few smaller purchases of parts via Tamiya Club have been a success for me.  Buying from people who are long time TC members and you can see their back catalogue of builds, items for sale etc takes some risk out in my opinion.

[MadAnt]

I've only bought a couple of used RC's online, which is my vintage Sand Scorcher and 2nd Clod. The rest of my used collection has been from in person deals, like from swap meets and trades/deals with friends. For the most part I know what I'm getting into, but there is always the chance that something could be worth way less than what I paid for it because of unknown issues. 

Not every deal was a good deal for me. I bought a used HBX TL01 clone which was and is such a complete pile of junk, that I built a new Tamiya TL01 from new and upgrade parts, I even replaced the screws. So now I have this beautiy in the pic below.

Anyway, for the most part, I've had great success with buying used RC stuff.

[Mad Ax]

Unless you're desperately paying over the odds to get something you can't wait for, buying used generally works out OK.  Generally, if a kit is available new, I wouldn't buy a used example unless it was significantly less than new price - unless it came with enough parts to really make the deal worth it (a good quality radio, ESC and motor can easily make a used buy worthwhile even if you throw the rest of it away).

Some used cars have been very well built and have come with hop-ups or custom mods that have made a huge difference to performance.

Some have been badly built, including oversized wood screws jammed in where a thread had been stripped, split axle cases glued with epoxy, missing bearings in the gearbox and so much play in the suspension arms its a wonder it ever drove straight.

Generally, the deal is good enough that I can replace a few parts here and there and get a working vehicle for less than I'd have paid for a new kit and electrics.  Not always though - you win some, you lose some.

If you have fun with the restoration and get a sense of satisfaction from it, and potentially end up with a bunch of spares, does that make it worth the money you spent?

[ADRay1000]

I’ve bought used in the distant past via the internet… the only real problems I had were people misrepresenting what they had. I’m talking early days of trading forums and eBay. You’d win some, you’d lose some. 

[Kowalski86]

5 hours ago, Mad Ax said:

Unless you're desperately paying over the odds to get something you can't wait for, buying used generally works out OK.  Generally, if a kit is available new, I wouldn't buy a used example unless it was significantly less than new price

Same here, tires, servos, bodies, anything that's needed to "complete" a used RC will quickly make it cost as much as a new model.

I still buy used quite a bit, but I shop around and wait for decent deals (50% off or more from new). Prices have been wacky lately. "Gee, do I buy a beat up Arrma Gorgon without a body shell for $200? Or a brand new one for $160?".

If you're looking at used RTR models, the best deals are the bone stock models with hardly any use. Anything that's been modified has usually had a hard life, and might have terrible aftermarket hardware. I recently had a Slash with cheapo Chinese knuckles, and I couldn't remove one of them due to a stripped/bent cheapo Chinese pivot screw.

Here's a big pro-tip for used RCs: Avoid eBay!

[J@mes]

I’ve bought plenty used & 2nd hand (from here & on ebay) Sold lots too. There’s a lot of enjoyment in the strip down rebuild & seeing the previous owners handiwork. If I built everything new from kits I would miss out on that, also how else could I get my hands on stuff no longer in production?!

[Killajb]

I've purchased quite a few used RC's and have mostly been impressed.  I have been disappointed twice that I can recall. 

Once was a TT-01 that had horrible build quality, screws that were overtightened in plastic, worn and sloppy suspension components, etc.  Luckily, TT-01 parts were inexpensive, readily available and I chose to go with upgrade parts for most of that build since I wanted to find some feeling of gratification since I felt that I kinda got burned on the purchase.

The second was a recent DF-03 purchase where I saw a lot of blue alloy hop-up bling from the display photos.  When the package arrived however, the car was apparently left outside in the elements.  The blue alloy bits were faded and had light rust in areas that couldn't be seen on the photos.  The integrated servo mounts on the plastic chassis were "shortened" for some reason and the a few of the mounting holes in the chassis were stripped out.  Once again I was lucky to source replacement chassis parts and blue alloy bits.

I always assume included extras like an included servo, motor or esc to be worst-case scenario when I decide to make a purchase.  Aside from the aforementioned TT-01 (both servo and motor were crap) I've lucked out and had extra spares for future projects.  

I used my bad experiences to help with future purchases and vet display photos with better discretion.  I also consider the availability and cost of spare parts.

[Losi XXT-CR]

How do people find good deals on used models? I've looked for years and found very few deals. Most of the time I'm amazed and gobsmacked how much used RC stuff, esp Tamiya go for. People want the same or more money for used vs buying new and people seem to pay it!!