Is $130 a good price for a used Xbox 360 20GB ?

[fatlazyhomer]

ya

[PrivatePixel]

If it has a HDMI, then that means it has to be fairly newer by default, correct?

HDMI appeared with the second revision of the console (manufactured July 2007 and onwards).

[PrivatePixel]

Coffins? Is that like a pre-paid shipping box?

Yes.

[N0Skillz]

If he never registered the 360 when he bought it the warrenty should be "transferable" because microsoft won't even know your not the original owner. and who really registers their products?

[3dfxrain]

Maybe. Playin the 360 games here of course. RE5 is on the 360 so I am not disappoint.

[3dfxrain]

what games are you interested in on the 360? I think it's important

[Lenny]

Updated info: I had the price wrong. It's $130 for X360 with one wireless controller. I've updated the thread title with that correction. $150 with Gears of War, the only game he has that Buu is interested it. The only other game Buu is interested in right now is Halo 3.

The seller doesn't have the original receipt but the date of manufacture on the back of the console is Sept 2007. I'm not sure if he has registered it (need to find that out). When asked what he would have done (before selling it) if it got the RR error he said he would have called MS and given then the console serial number to identify it. He has not had any reliability issues with it so far. If Buu purchased it he would be able to remain in contact with the seller for the next 12-14 months or so if the RR happened to occur and the original owner had already registered it preventing us from registering it for the first time.

Question about the RR - someone mentioned that it's relatively easy to fix by changing a heatsink or something like that? I think I could handle that as a last resort if I was unable to get it fixed under the extended 3 year warranty.

[modru2004]

Personally, I wouldn't consider a used/refurbished Xbox 360 manufactured prior to this year. The 20GB model was manufactured and offered for sale between late 2006 and most of 2007, before the switch was made to a 60GB model. Regardless of how well it was maintained or how rarely it was played (prior to it being resold now), it's only a matter of time before the RROD appears and Microsoft customer service will need to be contacted (by the original owner) for a coffin (as the warranty is not transferable).

There were numerous hardware revisions to the board, CPU and GPU in the past 4 years; this timeline should give prospective buyers a better idea as to what they can expect, whether buying new or used.

im not saying the RROD is not an issue, as i know its a problema nd know people that have had it.

but im just gonna toss this out here.

i bought my xbox 360 20gb version (before they ever came out with the elite back when this was the top model) in January of 2007.

and my xbox 360 works fine, i have NEVER gotten the RROD. in fact i haven't really had any issues with it.

just saying that because while there were ALOT of bad apples, not all were bad.

if it was bought in the last year its still under warranty i believe. you should be good eitherway.

[fatlazyhomer]

There are a number of home remedies for the RR. The one I hear of the most is wrapping it in a towel to solve the HS issue. My friend did it and it kept it goign for a few more weeks. Opening it up is the more complicated of the two. Im not sure if the latter is a permanent fix or not, since there arnt any long term studies short of personal anecdotes.

GoW for 20$ isnt bad , but there are SO many halo 3 floating around that you can pick it up for bargain bin prices.

Buying an older model 360 is buying a time bomb no matter how you look at it. On one hand, you can help out a friend in the immediate future, otoh problems down the line may ruin the friendship unless the terms are clearly established.

I personally wouldnt do it. 360s can be snagged for cheap with a little patience. Dell often run 20-25% off coupons every few months, and that knocks the arcade down to 151$ and the pro to 220$ (elite to like 300$ if you have the cash). 20gb HDs are all over fleabay for cheap too, so for about 40$ more than what he is asking, you can get a newer model and peace of mind. I suppose you can buy his and get a squaretrade warranty on it if you really want to help him out.

[ashtodust2000]

Good price, and if you do get RR, you can permanently fix it by taking it apart, putting good thermal paste on it, and changing the way the heatsink mounts. Go watch some utube videos to see how easy it is. Don't do the towel trick, as it is temporary and may wreck it permanently.

[Lenny]

You guys have provided a lot of great feedback and opinions on both sides of the fence. Buu is leaning towards buying the used 20gb model. Final decision to be made real soon.

[kbohip]

Question about the RR - someone mentioned that it's relatively easy to fix by changing a heatsink or something like that? I think I could handle that as a last resort if I was unable to get it fixed under the extended 3 year warranty.

I tried fixing my brother-in-law's 360 a couple of months ago for the RROD issue. I didn't do the towel trick. I took the whole thing apart and reapplied new heatsink grease (AS5). I then used screws and nuts to remount it. I followed the instructions exactly but couldn't get the thing to work. Taking it apart, I was very unimpressed by the quality of it compared to the PS3.

From what I see, fixing the RROD is a hit or miss venture. For $120 though, it's almost worth it even if it only goes another 2 years before it croaks. Aren't they still $250.00 new?

[Buu]

Agreed.

I know this is especially comparable to the new car/used car analogy, where saving a little money isn't worth it in the long run. But in this case I don't have the money to toss around for a new Xbox. If I can get a working system for cheap and have it last a while it's worth it. Like kbohip said.

The RRoD seems to be covered, with either giving it to him for sending back in in the next 2 years, registering it and sending it back myself, or if all else fails and the warranty is over a while from now, DIY. He's had it for a year and it's been fine, as well as not being one of the very early models. Both pluses.

Mainly Halo and Gears of War, but I do realize the Xbox is much more versatile as a platform.

I don't consider the friendship an issue. A hardware failure isn't something to hold someone accountable for.

Your guys' input is greatly appreciated.

[Lenny]

How important is the size of the hard drive? Is it used mainly to stored saved games and such? Can you install a bigger drive yourself if you wanted to? Can a drive be installed in a new 360 Arcade?

[madhatter256]

If you plan on having a lot of games AND play a lot of them frequently, then the 20gb of space will be gone - so a 120gb solution would be better. A 20gb is great to start out with.

Also, MS warranties the RROD issue for up to 3 years. Everything else (ie DVDROM not reading after one year) has the standard 1 year warranty.

In some cases the RROD cannot be avoided, even if you put it in an environment that will keep it cool. Even the brand new revision (Jasper) models are having an RROD like issue.

It basically cannot be avoided regardless of which route you take to get an xbox360.

Besides if its from a friend in school... if it breaks down within a week Buu can just beat him up to get his money back .