Hawkrune

I've found a reputable store selling refurbished X-Box machines for $88.00. Unfortunately, they do not offer any kind of extended warranty - just a 30 day return policy.

I currently own a PS2 and Dreamcast, and am interested in expanding to include an X-Box, but was wondering if this was a good price on a refurbished system. Additionally, I was wondering if anyone had advice about buying such a machine, i.e. problems I might look for when I bring the system home and how I might go about testing its features. I have no working knowledge of the XBox and don't know what I might expect from it mechanically. Are there any particular problems to look out for or other things I should investigate at the store before making this purchase?

Any advice would be much appreciated, but please do not start flaming about the quality of systems or which system is "better". I am very happy with both my existing systems and only want advice regarding the possible purchase of a refurbished XBox to add to what I've got.

Thanks for your help.

damn_skippy

refurbished is fine. And if it takes a crap on you are only out 88 bucks. If your really worried about it buy a brand new one for 149.

Gideon68

$88 for a refurbished X-Box seems low, better make sure it's "refurbished" as opposed to "used." Refurbished systems should have the same type of warranty as a new system from MS's viewpoint.

Gizmo

Wow...thats way too low.

theneobez

dont copy that floppy

Hawkrune

Thanks for the input. From what I saw of the boxes, these appear to be factory refurbished units (have to check on that to be sure) and they are being sold through a store that is part of a national chain. This particular store is an outlet version of the chain, so that might explain the super-low price. It's also possible I misread the boxes, but I'm pretty sure they said "Refurbished XBOX" on the side. I didn't get a close look however, so I'm going back tomorrow to look more closely. I also couldn't tell if it came with a controller or other accessories, so I'll have to do more digging. If this is indeed a factory reconditioned system, I take it that $88 is a very good price?

If I can make sure this is a factory refurbished unit, and thus covered in the factory warranty, what should I expect that warranty to cover and for how long? I tried the XBox website, but couldn't find the details. I did see a link to an extended warranty which might be good under these circumstances, but for the extra $50, it would probably be better to just buy a new machine. What is the standard warranty?

What would be helpful is some information on things I should look for when I've got the unit home and am putting it through its initial paces. Are there any common problems I should look for, or clues that things might not be working correctly? On the PS2, I know that "disc read errors" can be a sign of trouble (hasn't happened on mine yet, but I've heard about the problem with others) - is their anything comparable on the XBox?

Additionally, is there any particular game that maximizes the use of the system's features so I can test them without having to buy multiple games?

If ultimately, this proves to be the deal it seems to be, I will at least give the details of where I found these, even if I don't buy one for myself. I don't want to get specific until I know what to look for however, since I'm totally new to the XBox world and don't want to start a rumor here before I know that's it's for real.

Thanks for the help so far.

outer-edge

If I remember correctly, refurb units should carry the same MS warranty as a new one.

Gizmo

beleive Refurns have a 30 day warranty thru microsoft (atleast thats what MS tells us to tell customers). Refurbs come with everything needed to start playing (AC,AV, Controller ((either big or small, it all depends))

Tandem

Check out what type cd drive it has in it. I would not buy one with a Thomson drive. The Thomson drive has a long history of failures. I would rather buy a new xbox with a Samsung drive over a cheaper one with a Thomson.

Do a Google search to learn more about the drives before you make any purchase.

Here's a site with pictures of the drives...
http://www.freewebs.com/xboxdrives/

Hawkrune

Thanks for the tip about the drives. That's exactly the kind of info I was looking for.

I'll be heading to the store this afternoon and will post what happens.

discostu1337

refurbs have little to no warranty from MS...used/new generally has a better warranty

Fanboy

Okay, so what's the store? I wanna cheap Xbox as well.

Tandem

The bad dvd drives don't show up right away so a one month warranty won't be enough time to correct them. I had a Thomson drive that worked fine for a year and then started to have read errors that increased over time to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore. I opted to get a new xbox with a Samsung drive over repairing the old one. The load times are quicker with the new xbox but that may be due to comparing the new drive to one that was failing.

bertobarto

Yeah, but you could get a new one with a Thompson drive. I suggest checking out the store's return policy. If a Thompson drive bothers you, check it, take it back, keep going, until you get a Samsung or Philips. I'd say if you had any problems at all they'd happen in the first month, but I have had a 3 month refurbished MD player die on me withing one month after the warranty window. Still, at 88 bucks, it's pretty solid. Then again, you have people with fine working Xboxes that never play them and would be fine taking 88 bucks for it but they're lost in a sea of potentially bad Xboxes on Ebay.

Gideon68

"Refurbs" should have been diagnosed by MS that's why they're considered refurbs. "Used" is a system sold by someone and hasn't been diagnosed by MS, that's why it's cheaper and usually only has a store guarantee if any.

Hawkrune

Thanks for the additional input. Based on what was written here, I decided that it was worth the "risk" to obtain the system at such a good price. Here are the details of the transaction:

The store where I purchased this XBox was a KBToys outlet at the Prime Outlets in Grove City, PA. They had approx. 5 more of these systems left and claimed they'd sold about five already. The sticker price is $88.88

The box is a plain cardboard box that says, "Refurbished XBOX Model #: 8888" on the side. On another side it says, "No Manufacturer Warranty"

The system inside was wrapped in bubble wrap. It comes with instruction documentation, AV cable, Controlelr and Power Cable.

Upon start-up, mine appears to have the Philips DVD tray as shown in the link in one of the above posts. I tested an audio CD and burned a track from it and that much all seemed to work fine. Sound from the system through my low-end stereo was very, very good. I don't have any games yet, but will try to pick something up for a test in the near future.

Thanks to everyone fro your help. I hope this thread can help a few others find a good deal on an XBox. There are KB outlets all over and maybe some of them also carry the refurbished units.

xmiyux

My Xbox has the Thompson drive and so far i haven't had any problems and have had it probably about a year. *fingers crossed* So if you get stuck with a crappy drive you might be ok.

Tandem

When I bought my new xbox, I was told to look for one with a serial number ending in 06. Those were the ones with the Samsung drives. The serial number on the xbox is visible through a hole in the carton.

Add "serial number" to your search for xbox drive information and you should be able to find the lastest info on what the serial numbers mean. I think the last two digits have to do with where the xbox is assembled.