Looking at used treadmills?

You can find some great deals on used treadmills, but be careful. Unless you know the person you're thinking of buying a used treadmill from, buying a treadmill that you know nothing about can be a scary proposition at best. It's sort of like buying a used car except tougher, because how do you really know how much use or "miles" that treadmill went through?

Take a close look at the belt. Does it still appear to have thickness? And don't be afraid to get on the treadmill and take it for a spin. Try all speed levels and the various incline levels. If the treadmill is a folding treadmill, try to fold it. See how easy it is or how heavy it is. If it's a power folding treadmill, make sure that that feature works. It would be hard to spot anything wrong within the inner workings of the treadmill unless you know what you're looking at, so you'll have to depend on what the current owner says about that.

When you're looking at a used treadmill, just be prepared for breakdowns. You may end up replacing wearable parts like belts sooner rather than later, but if the treadmill is being offered at a cheap price, it may be worth it to take the chance. Find out whether the original manufacturer's warranty can be assigned to you. If not, then you're on your own, but again...if it's cheap enough, it might be a good risk.

Before determining whether a used treadmill is for you, ask yourself whether you're a serious treadmill user or a casual treadmill user. And then ask yourself whether you're sure you are going to use the treadmill. Yes...some folks buy a treadmill and then it becomes a great dust bucket. So if you're not sure you are going to put your treadmill to use and/or you're a casual treadmill user, then a used treadmill may be just the ticket for you. We'd hate to see you spend money on a new treadmill that's going to sit there and look pretty.

Be wary of some of the used lower quality brands like Image, Horizon, and Epic. If the treadmill components are lower quality when the treadmill is new direct from the manufacturer, then it won't take much to wear 'em out if they're used. You could be buying parts as soon as you bring it home. The higher quality brands like Landis and True are built to last, so you can feel safer buying one of those used treadmill brands.

Another option for your peace of mind is to purchase a lower cost new treadmill. Proform is  a solid brand with pricing for the budget conscious, so you can get some good deals. At least it will come with a warranty for your protection. And even though we placed the Image treadmills in the lower quality treadmill category as mentioned above, a new Image model treadmill can be had for very little money...between $400 and $800. Our first choice would be Proform, but if  you're strictly looking at dollars and cents, the Image brand of treadmill would be a good one to look at.

An even better option if you want to get yourself a higher quality treadmill, but yet not spend the brand new price for that high quality, is to get a remanufactured treadmill. You can find some really great ones at Mega Fitness.

You may think that a remanufactured treadmill is just a fancy term for used, but there is a huge difference between the two. When the remanufacturing process is complete, you have the look and dependability of a "new" treadmill without the price tag.

Here's exactly what Mega Fitness does to each treadmill it remanufactures:
 

• Disassembles the treadmill

• Sandblasts the treadmill frame to strip off any imperfections

• Powder coats the frame and bakes it

• Rebuilds the mechanical and electrical systems with brand new parts to match new equipment specs.

• Reassembles the treadmill

• Refinishes the exterior with paint, seal/finish, decals, etc.

• A triple diagnostic exam is then performed by certified specialists to ensure the treadmill performs perfectly

• Done

After all of the above is complete, the treadmill is essentially new. The only part of the treadmill that is not new is the frame.

So the better value comes from a remanufactured treadmill. But understand that Mega Fitness is not going to remanufacture a treadmill that had a price of $600/$700 (for example) when it was new. The cheaper treadmills are considered  "throwaways". The "keepers" are the treadmills that had the better quality to begin with and therefore carried a higher price.

So there you have it. Looking at used treadmills can be a good way to go, but use caution. Some newer model treadmills can be good deals and provide better peace of mind vs. buying a used treadmill. And for a few more dollars, you could get a quality remanufactured machine that is almost brand new. Which way you go is just dependent on your needs and your interests.

• Mega Fitness
  Check out a good selection of top brand name remanufactured treadmills. The advantages of having a new treadmill without the new price.                                                                                                                                               

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