Fair price for a used Mitsubishi 45" Projection TV - VS-45609 ? (1 Viewer)

[Lane F.]

Hi, I am considering purchasing my friends 9 month old 45" Mitsubishi. The model is VS-45609, and this is what I found on the Mitsubishi website. He wants $800 for it, is this too much, too little, or a fair price?
Also, does anyone have any opinions on this set, good or bad? Its either this or I get new 36" Toshiba (model 36A42) for $750 from Best Buy...

 

[Jack Briggs]

Lane, do not buy a used television of any sort, especially an RPTV. And at that asking price anyway, it is best to go with the newer ATSC technology. Smaller HD-capable direct-view sets can be had for as little as $800-900 now (Zenith makes a 27-inch HD-capable set). JB

 

[Lane F.]

Jack,

Thanks for the advice, but a 27" is too small. I just moved into a townhome, and need to get at least a 36" TV for the living room, but only have $800-$900 to spend. So my choises are a new 36" direct view TV (analog) in that price range or my friends 45" Mitsubishi...

 

[Frank Frandsen]

Lane,

That sounds like a good price. Being the person you are buying from is a friend you should know how he took care of it. I recently sold my 50vs-707 to a friend for $600 and he could not be happier. With your limited funds I would jump on it.

Frank

 

[Lane F.]

Ya, I'm not worried about the purchase since it is from a good friend of mine, and I know how well he treats his equipment. I just wanted to know what people thought of this set, and if they felt that $800 was a fair price. He still has the original receipt. Or my only other choice is a new 36" analog TV.

 

[Bill Slack]

It appears to be quite a nice analog set with user level 64pt convergence, memory by input and a 3D comb-filter.
I'd take that set over an analog 36" any day. It seems a little pricey, but only by about $100 or so, and if he helps you move it, and is your friend maybe offer him $700, settle on $750, and I'd think you would both be happy. For like $1200-$1400, you should be able to find a ~40"+ HD ready set.

Do check for burn-in and what not, but if you already know he keeps the settings at a reasonable level, then I'm sure it's fine. Personally, I would rather have an analog 45" set than a ATSC 36" set. It's just too small, to me.

One more thing... I assume you have the room for it, and can sit far enough away? I think about 8-9ft would be optimal for a 45" analog set. It's horribly distracting to see scan lines.

 

[Lane F.]

Whats the easiest way to check for burn in? Any particular scenes in a dvd movie that would show it easier than others?

 

[Bill Slack]

Something with a solid white screen and crank up the brightness and contrast, that should show anything quite nicely.

 

[Jan Strnad]

I just can't get excited over an analog RPTV anymore. Just seeing them in the stores, the scan lines are so apparent that they make me shudder. I'm sorry to be such a snob, but the new HD sets are so much better (IMHO) that, frankly, I'd pass up the used set and save my money for a set that will take me into the next generation of television.
Some things are worth waiting/paying/going into debt for. You can get a new widescreen, high-def RPTV at Best Buy with no interest for two years. Yep, it's twice as much money as your friend's used analog TV, but over the years it will be a much better value.
IMHO.
Jan