Whites guy considering a used Etrac. Some Qs...

[RavenTBK]

Okay...been a Whites guy for many years. Exceptionally happy with my XLT for a handful of years, and just as happy with their service when things have gone wrong. I really never thought about any other brands because of concerns of quality and the inability to have them easily and cheaply serviced as my XLT.

Forward to today. Wandering through a neighborhood pawn shop, doing my weekly rounds to see if there's anything exciting, I hit my head on an Etrac suspended from the ceiling. Being a curious dirt fisher, I asked to pull it down and fiddle with it. It had been well used, arm cuff broken in half, the bolt that holds the coil to the shaft had been replaced with an obvious impostor with cardboard washers, the hand grip smelled like a dead animal, and the plastic screen was all scratched up. It did power up, with the AA holder on board. Didn't do much testing beyond that, as I have no idea what I'm looking for on anything other than a Whites.

The shop had a tag of $400 on it. A cursory search of the internet says its a good deal, even with replacing parts. The shop tells me the guy who brought it in had like 8 others in his car...so apparently the prior owner was a dedicated fisher.

So, my questions are:
Is $400 a decent deal for one of these Etracs given the condition I described?
What sort of things should I look for in a used Minelab to tell if its 100% functional
Anything else I need to know?

If I do go get it, it'll be this afternoon sometime, so I'm hoping this forum is active enough to give me some tips.

Thanks in advance!

 

[sprchng]

Think of it this way,,,,the coil bolt will cost you $25.
Offer them $200 and be firm.

 

[D&P-OR]

I'd run (not walk) away from that one!-----If it's as beat up as you describe, the aggravation alone would not make it worth it.----Even at $400, if the mother board goes out on that thing--you won't think you got such a bargain.--You'll have a beat up $400 door stop.-------You are doing one thing right--considering an Etrac--they are EXCELLENT machines-----but-----do yourself a favor---take your time & shop for a used one in excellent condition.----They are out there & for quite reasonable prices right now--some with a portion of Minelabs transferable warranty left on them.-----Bottom line---sounds like that Etrac was "rode hard & put up wet"-----I'D PASS!-------------Del

 

[diggervance]

That's less then half of what used ones sell for on he bay. The old saying is if its to good to be true it normally is. Pawn dealers are out there to make money and they know what a good working e-trac is worth. I would steer clear of this one.

Diggervance

 

[amberjack]

junk run away fast pay a bit more get a nice one.

AJ

 

[Bayard]

Unless it is a counterfeit, I think you should buy it. If you don't like it, I'm sure you can resell it for at least a breakeven and probably a profit. Even if it breaks, you can part it out and get quite a bit of your money back. I'd be interested in buying it myself.

 

[nalc472]

I would pay no more than 200.00 for it. It the guy would buy the parts to fix it and show that it works then 400.00

 

[masterjedi]

A nice used one is $750
I wouldn't buy because of how it was taken care of.
Good luck...

 

[nalc472]

I one time bought a Whites Spectrum XLT from a pawn shop for 200.00. It was missing the toggle switch and had no battery. Went to Radio Shack and bought a toggle switch and put it on myself. Ordered a battery pack from Whites. Had a great running machine. Sold it 3 years ago for 500.00. Got to use it for about 4 years and sold for a 300.00 profit. That was a sweet deal.

 

[RavenTBK]

Thanks for the replies. While trying to get more answers, I stumbled onto the counterfeit thread. Guess I missed the influx of Chinese knockoffs while enjoying my XLT. *shrug*

Concerned, I went back by the store and retrieved the serial number, and put in a call to Minelab. Was informed that the e-trac has no anti-counterfeit markings, and the serial number is useless to determine if its legit. The only way is to ship it in for service. This struck me as odd, as I thought the e-trac was near top of the line, and should have some kind of verification available. At bare minimum, a serial registry like White's maintains.

I came to the conclusion that since it was seemingly an experienced digger that sold it, and was beat all to hell with no repairs, and sold to a pawn shop instead of back into the digger market, it must've been a clone that didnt function as intended, and was summarily dismissed. Given the low sale value placed on it by the pawn broker, I'm guessing the conclusion must be at least halfway correct.

So yeah, I'm glad I didnt fall for the impulse buy. I really wanted the lil bastard for that price. Haha.

 

[amberjack]

for another few hundred you will get a nice one.

AJ