Buyer Beware!

[Gate88]

Sorry about your problems.

I would like to big up this site however with my experience.

I fly a Raptor 50 and now a Trex 600.

BOTH were second hand and BOTH were bought off the same chap on this forum.

I won't name Martin (rcslopesurfer) for fear of embarrassing him, but both Heli's were/are superb. The Trex only needed some cheese bearings replacing and she was good to go.

Maiden flew her at the weekend and apart from the engine (supplied by me) the Heli flew very well indeed. No tracking of the blades and very little trim on anything. In fact, I was stall turning on its second flight which is very unlike me but shows the confidence in the model.

So you can buy second hand, my only advice would be to buy from known and reliable members of this forum. Then check the model over carefully making sure locktite has been used in the correct area etc etc.

Cheers

Mark

Dont get me wrong Mark, I'm not bashing the 2nd hand heli market, and certainly not anyone on this forum. I brought my 450 sev2 from a member here and am very happy with it, I've also brought a lot of equipment & radio gear from RCHA, BMFA, & Ebay and have never had a problem. I also know people who sell a lot of heli's and related stuff and they go to extraordinary lengths to ensure that the buyer is happy with his purchase.

On the whole everone I've met within this hobby has been honest & reliable and there is a sense of comeraderie. My problem was that as all I'd had was positive experiences that led me to be complacent and thats why I took a hit on this one.

It hasn't put me off buying another "used" model, but I will certainly be more vigilant in future!

[trillian]

Anyway there is a happy ending to it. From hating it at first, he now loves the trex so much he is thinking of getting a 700

Oh no, another falls to the dark side

[cyberman]

It hasn't put me off buying another "used" model, but I will certainly be more vigilant in future!

A good warning to us all, I am sorry it came at your expense.

[Tim Procter]

Shame about your dealings we hear about here.

Such a pity you went that route as I have just built a brand new T-Rex 600nsp from my sparers box ready to bind n fly you could have bought.

[Twisted]

Sorry to here about that nightmare, but looking at the silver lining you saved and brought that heli back from the dead

[spunkmyer]

Oh no i've just brought a second hand raptor 50 the other day!!!!!. No worries though as it was Gate88's raptor, i have to thank Gate88, crash-alot and a few others who helped set up the raptor at the field so it could be flown with my new engine in it.

[Rctintin]

Glad to hear you got your 600 up and flying Gate88.
I got my first 'second hand' heli off this site from Jamiem, and i am very pleased with it. I would have been concerned buying it off fleebay.

[barney]

I'll be quite up front I'm not impressed by how clean it is unless its advertised as a near New heli or pristine etc.

On a flying day I often have more fuel dripping from between the frames than your average Sunday flyer puts through their engine.

Once you get into fast backwards flying the thing gets an oil bath right to the nose and you just cant match the 'clean' level of your average sports flyer where 95% of the oil is thrown clear in the hover.

A dirty heli between the frames is an indication that its not been crashed of late and being used. The dirt is not doing any harm as such.

Trying to be too anal can be counter productive especially if using any cleaning fluids as you end up forcing muck into the bearings or flushing out the grease.

My own machines now get a wipe down and check over thats about it. I consider them a tool for a job rather than something to proudly look at.

I would much rather impress you with my flying than how clean my heli is.

So I say slimey rules..LOL

[crash-alot]

Yes sometimes dirty can be appealing! ;-) Just ask Sebastian Vettel (reference to his car)



But not when you trying to sell off your gear to an potential buyer. You want to present it in a clean state.

I won’t be impressed if the guy tells me, yeah but it’s been flying every day hence the reason it’s dirty.

[Holst]

Sorry to hear about you bad experiences.
This is the reason ive never considered ebay helis as you just dont know what you are getting. It sounds like the guy crashed it, rebuilt it so that it looked ok and then sold it on to you very unfair.
If it says RTF then if im collecting it then i expect to see it fly before I part with any cash

I have bought helis from Dashik and Matti Lodge and both were excelent.
In fact alot of my kit is second hand from RCHA and ive never had a problem with anything so far.

As for the clean or dirty argument, my helis are electric so they are spotlessly cleaned after every outing. It only takes a few minutes and lets you check everything over.
If I had a nitro then I would inspect everything but I wouldnt be taking the frames appart to clean between them... well at least not on a regular basis

[Gate88]

Ok perhaps I should quantify "dirty".

I'm not simply talking about fuel residue and the odd grass clipping, although there was plenty of that, I was more concerned with caked on dirt and dust that had to be scraped out with a screwdriver, crud build up in the heads of allen bolts that didnt even allow you to get an allen key in to check their security, and there was rust on the main shaft and tail output shaft inside the frame & housing. As well as layers of old double sided tape and sticky pads stuck all over the of servos Rx, & ATG.

It's the difference between "flown" & "neglected" and I doubt there's many members here that would describe their helis as the latter let alone try and palm one off as state of the art RTF.

[disho]

The moral of the story is, would you buy a car without starting it up? enuff said, just because it has the right gear on the helly etc doesnt mean its all in good working order!!!!

[barney]

That sound a real mess and has been stored somewhere damp..at least you managed to get it sorted out Gate. With E-Bay its a bit of a lottery.

[Brian Gifford]

I have just built a brand new T-Rex 600nsp from my spares box ready to bind n fly .

I think I've said it before, only Tim ( Fastlad's satellite establishment ) could build a complete heli from his SPARES box!

[EtheAv8r]

Truely sorry for your Horror Story, I am afraid I would have taken the 5 hour drive and got my money back ....

Hopefully you will end up with a good machine, but it won't be a bargain!

I have a T-REX 500 I bought a week or three ago from a RCHA member - It remains boxed up and I will be not able to check it out properly until I get it given too me for my Christmas present, but I have every expectation that it will be a good 'un from a good 'un on this forum.