Which used DVX100a would you choose?

D

danstanbury

Active member
Hi

I have a tough purchase decision, I need to buy a used dvx100ae today my best choices are (all of which are assumed in good working condition):

a) £1,760 with 74 hours on the clock. Its from a dealer so has a 1 year warranty but without the original box and incomplete list of accessories.

b) £1,100 only 58 hours of use but the firewire port does not work

c)£1,300 147 hours use.

Any advice on what to prioritise would be welcome.

Thanks

Dan
 
danstanbury said:
Hi

I have a tough purchase decision, I need to buy a used dvx100ae today my best choices are (all of which are assumed in good working condition):

a) £1,760 with 74 hours on the clock. Its from a dealer so has a 1 year warranty but without the original box and incomplete list of accessories.

b) £1,100 only 58 hours of use but the firewire port does not work

c)£1,300 147 hours use.

Any advice on what to prioritise would be welcome.

Thanks

Dan
Click to expand...

At first glance, I like a). Just having the peace of mind of having a 1 year warranty is a good thing. Plus, you could probably get the dealer to confirm and/or guarantee the cosmetic shape of the camera.

Definitely do NOT go with b). If the firewire port does not work, that probably means there is a very good chance someone's computer had a faulty firewire jack with bent pins. This will not only cause a short in the firewire port in the camera, rendering it useless, but it will short out another function inside the camera that will cause the camera to drain the batteries quicker.

c) sounds intriguing. No Warranty, but if it's in good shape and it's much less than a), I'd at least consider it.

What might help us help you is if you could translate your money currency into dollar amounts. That way, those of us in the states will be able to give you a more accurate opinion.

Rick
 
Hi Rick

thanks for your feedback, I was leaning very close to (b) because of the price. The seller assures that everything else is in good order and that using a cheap camcorder as a digitising deck would overcome the short fall. He did say that it was messed up by a computer but I got the impression the fault was electronic. Anyway the chance that this may cause other issues within the camera has really put me off so thanks for saving me from making a mortal error.
To translate the exchange rates roughly (a) is about $3,045 so about what you would pay new in the states (its much more expensive here). (b) would be $1,900 and (c) would be $2,262. In fact these are my projected prices as b and c are in auction so have not reached this figures yet.

My understanding from your advice is that the difference between 140 hours use and 58 is not that significant, more important is how the camera has been maintained and the peace of mind that comes with a warranty.

Many thanks

Dan
 
Dan-

You hit it right on the head. The difference of 140 hours and 58 hours means almost nothing. It definitely should not sway your final decision too much. I'd take the 140 hour camera that has been babied and has not a scratch over a 58 hour camera being sold by a rental house...any day of the week.

I think $3,000 for a used DVX is highway robbery. I don't even know how much they retail for new there but you can get a brand new one in the states (after a rebate) for about $2700.00 dollars. If it were me...I'd go with C. I'd save the grand and keep my fingers crossed. I'd have a hard time giving a dealer an extra grand for a used camera.

But that's me. Let me know how it goes.

Rick
 
Jim, are you talking about the dvx100ae ie the PAL version? Are you in the uk? If so I'm very interested? PS I couldnt find you threads, still not familiar with how this site works.
Let me know asap
cheers
Dan
 
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