Newbie has some Q's about buying a used Concept 2

Jay-C · Post by **Jay-C** » September 27th, 2007, 4:04 pm

Hi All,
I have the opportunity to buy a used Concept 2 Model C from the original owner. The machine is five years old and has 1600 total KM's on it. This is a fairly low number, right? The owner says he's got no idea what it's worth now, and wants me to make an offer -- what would be a good price? Thanks for your advice.

Citroen · Post by **Citroen** » September 27th, 2007, 6:16 pm

The UK market may be different. But used model Cs normally sell for around £550. That's compared to £1045 for a new model D w/PM4.

So applying the same theory to the US market; don't pay more than half the list price of a new Concept2 model D w/PM4.

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » September 27th, 2007, 11:45 pm

Model C's are selling for around $700 on Ebay.

If you could get it for $500, that would be a fantastic deal for you.

icomefrombirmingham · Post by **icomefrombirmingham** » September 28th, 2007, 8:19 am

I just paid $850 Canadian ( which is also $850 U.S. right now) for a Model D with PM3 also with very low mileage....mine had about 10K on it. It looks brand new.

I would expect to pay less for a C...although I doubt they are any less quality, in fact I like the footstretchers on the C's at the gym...just because it's the "older" model. Depending on condition, like John said I'd try $500 but still be happy at $650.

If you meant 1600m and not km for a model C....just make sure you don't pay extra for the dust!! And be sure to clean it and to oil the chain before you start.

Brent

Jay-C · Post by **Jay-C** » September 28th, 2007, 10:28 am

No, I meant 1600 Km. His son used to use the machine before he left home for college. Is that still a low number?

I didn't know the used ones went for so much, thanks for the advice.

michaelb · Post by **michaelb** » September 28th, 2007, 10:55 am

5 years old and 1.6 million meters is not very old and that is hardly used. You should look at the overall condition of it if possible including laying on the ground under it and looking up at the bungy cords (wear or abrasion on the bungies is one of the few things you could see in terms of wear).

You may want to check the computer display, called the PM2, to see which one it has. It shouldn't have a PM3, unless they upgraded. That would be good. It should have a serial port for a computer hookup on it on the bottom which would make it a PM2+ (I never had a PM2+ so I don't know exactly where that port would be). If it is not a PM2+, with the serial port, then they are lying to you about how old it is, and it is more like 10 years old.

I think buying a used C2 is a great idea, since they really do last forever. People here know the price of used C2s, but he may not. So you could feel him out for a killer great deal, say $400, but if he wants $5-600, that is probably still a good price for a used model C.

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » September 28th, 2007, 6:21 pm

Jay-C wrote:No, I meant 1600 Km. His son used to use the machine before he left home for college. Is that still a low number?

I didn't know the used ones went for so much, thanks for the advice.

Yes that is fantastic.

I bought a used modelC with similar distance for $500 three years ago, put 12 million meters on it in two years, then sold it for $677 last fall. However the price for them has increased since then. I would think even 700 would be a good price but haven't checked for them recently.

However, I did sell my modelB for $535 a few months ago.

Jay-C · Post by **Jay-C** » September 29th, 2007, 12:28 pm

I'm the proud new owner of a Concept 2!

I went over there, the guy was out so his wife showed me the machine. I was looking it over when she said, "He told me not to take less than $350 for it, but I just want it out of here." By then I'd seen that it looked great, almost like new, so I said $350 was fine with me, and we had a deal. I probably could've bargained her down a few bucks, but I was plenty happy with that price.

The monitor is a PM2, not a PM2+, but the serial number says it was made in 2002. So it is five years old just like the guy told me, but with the older monitor.

Anyway, thanks again for all your help and I'm sure I'll be back soon to ask for advice about training. I can tell this thing is gonna kick my middle-aged butt.

johnlvs2run · Post by **johnlvs2run** » September 29th, 2007, 1:21 pm

Congratulations, you got a fantastic deal!

I would buy a modelC in a heartbeat for $350, in fact I would buy 10 of them at that price.

The pm2 is a much better monitor than the pm3, and much more flexible with it's use. I miss the the pm2 every morning that I'm rowing, and wish it worked on the modelD but it doesn't.

You got a great deal and a bargain!

Citroen · Post by **Citroen** » September 29th, 2007, 6:04 pm

Jay-C wrote:The monitor is a PM2, not a PM2+, but the serial number says it was made in 2002. So it is five years old just like the guy told me, but with the older monitor.

With the amount of money you've saved by getting a model C for $350 you can easily afford the upgrade to a PM4 monitor (which can be easily retro-fitted to a model C). The PM4 will give a whole bunch of new features - including online racing with RowPro (which costs $99).

You can probably sell the redundant PM2 on eBay.

I've yet to understand why John Rupp dislikes the PM3/PM4.

michaelb · Post by **michaelb** » September 29th, 2007, 8:44 pm

That is great deal. Enjoy your new machine. I am not sure how it is possible for a 2002 model C to have a PM2, but maybe I am remembering that wrong (the PM3 came out in Aug 2004, and the PM2+ had been the version for many years before that), or maybe they swapped out an older PM at some point.

Whether or not it is a PM2 or 2+ shouldn't make a difference for you. If you end up interested in online rowing, upgrading to the PM3 and rowpro at some point will be well worth the added investment.

freewheeling · Post by **freewheeling** » November 29th, 2007, 9:45 pm

Jay-C wrote:No, I meant 1600 Km. His son used to use the machine before he left home for college. Is that still a low number?

I didn't know the used ones went for so much, thanks for the advice.

1600 Km is virtually unused. I have a Model C that I purchased during a CRASH B trial (which is the best place to buy them) for $425 in 1999. I replaced the PM2 monitor with a PM2+ for a couple of hundred dollars, and have put over 12 million meters on it since. It had been used in a HS rowing program prior to that, so no telling how many total meters are on it, but I'd be surprised if the HS kids put less than 3 million on it. No significant wear as far as I can tell, although I replaced the track, rollers, etc. right after it was purchased. Kids sort of roughed it up a bit. I could probably sell this erg for $500 to $600, not that I want to. C2s have extraordinary resale. Almost unprecedented. Plus they're virtually indestructible.

freewheeling · Post by **freewheeling** » November 29th, 2007, 9:59 pm

Citroen wrote:I've yet to understand why John Rupp dislikes the PM3/PM4.

The PM2+ uses AA batteries, which are easily rechargable. The PM3/4 uses D Cells, and I don't even know hat a D Cell recharger costs. But the PM3/4 also has auto-shut-off, which the PM2+ doesn't. (Consequently I sometimes run the batteries out, being something of a nitwit.) I'd say the upgrade to a PM3 is a good deal, if I could figure out some way to recharge the batteries. On the other hand, I probably won't bother since I'll eventually buy a new erg anyway. Oh yeah, the PM2+ requires an RS232 port, and my RS232/USB conversion cables are unreliable. But I imagine there are much better ones being produced now. If it weren't for the fact that I'd be shackled to D-cell batteries for the rest of the machine's life (or mine) I'd probably upgrade to a PM3 in a heartbeat. The PM4 doesn't seem advantageous at all.

Now, if it had bluetooth...

Citroen · Post by **Citroen** » November 30th, 2007, 12:56 pm

freewheeling wrote: I'd say the upgrade to a PM3 is a good deal, if I could figure out some way to recharge the batteries.

My PM4 has the factory fitted rechargeable battery. I simply connect it to the USB on my laptop (or desktop) to recharge it. (One more reason to choose PM4 rather than PM3.)

freewheeling · Post by **freewheeling** » November 30th, 2007, 1:41 pm

Citroen wrote:
freewheeling wrote: I'd say the upgrade to a PM3 is a good deal, if I could figure out some way to recharge the batteries.
My PM4 has the factory fitted rechargeable battery. I simply connect it to the USB on my laptop (or desktop) to recharge it. (One more reason to choose PM4 rather than PM3.)

A decent D Cell charger costs around $100, and two batteries around $35. So basically I'm not really interested in upgrading to the PM3 or 4. It's a bang for buck sort of thing. Moreover, I really don't like the idea of dedicated proprietary battery packs anyway. If the PM3 used AAs then it'd be different. I might well pop for the $160 upgrade price. As it is, it would make more sense to sell my Model C on ebay, and buy a Model D or E. (Or buy one slightly used at the next local CRASH B trial.)

But again, dedicated battery packs are a pain, so I'm not sure I'd want it anyway. Might get the silencing kit for the C though. That sounds worthwhile.

[Update: Reading through the FAQ on the PM3 suggests a workaround. The unit can apparently be powered through a Mac USB port. I have a small wall unit that's used for charging an iPod, that has a USB port. One could simply plug that into the wall or an extension cord, and run the monitor that way. It wouldn't recarge the batteries, but would probably enormously expand their life.]