I was hoping that maybe someone on here could help me out.

I currently own a PS3 but was looking to pick up a 360 2nd hand locally. I found a person selling a 20GB edition with the team of FDOU and lot 0805. Looks like a falcon 360 to me, so that's good. He's also willing to "throw in" Call of Duty 4, which I'd have likely purchased anyway. That whole bundle ( system, original box and paperwork, controller, headset) he's willing to part with for $300. Is that a good deal?

Also, what would I have to do to set myself up to use the system? Would I have to reformat the whole drive and then restart as if it were new for Live, etc? Any responses are much appreciated.

You could probably find one about $100 less than that on eBay.

Most important thing to know is whether the warrantee seal has been broken and what the purchase date was. There hasn't been enough time yet to see if new builds are any more reliable than old ones, but you do want to make sure you have plenty of time left on the 3 year warantee.

I was hoping that maybe someone on here could help me out.

I currently own a PS3 but was looking to pick up a 360 2nd hand locally. I found a person selling a 20GB edition with the team of FDOU and lot 0805. Looks like a falcon 360 to me, so that's good. He's also willing to "throw in" Call of Duty 4, which I'd have likely purchased anyway. That whole bundle ( system, original box and paperwork, controller, headset) he's willing to part with for $300. Is that a good deal?

Also, what would I have to do to set myself up to use the system? Would I have to reformat the whole drive and then restart as if it were new for Live, etc? Any responses are much appreciated.

The poster above is right, you can find them cheaper than that. Check craigslist if you want to deal locally. Also reformatting the hard drive is a breeze take about 5 minutes. Not to mention when you start a new gamertag you get a free month of Live Gold service from Microsoft.

definently don't buy a used 360 for $300! i see them on craigslist everyday w/ tons of games and extra remotes for $250 or less

when i sold mine on craigslist i found a sucker that paid $375 for my 360 w/ 2 controllers and 1 game lol

if you want a 360 for as little as possible, get a RROD 360 with the warranty seal still intact, and transfer the balance of the 3 year warranty from the original owner to yourself. then, have them send you a coffin, and in a few weeks you'll receive a new (to you) 360...

Check craigslist if you want to deal locally.

Yep, I was using Craigslist. Actually, $300 is his starting point. I would hope I could jimmy him down from there a little.

From what he claims, it was purchased in the past couple of months and he has the receipt to prove it. If I were to agree on a price, I'd certainly give it the once over before finalizing the deal. Is the warranty seal on the back of the unit or something whereby you can't open up the system without breaking it? I think the old school Tivo was like that when I put in my larger hard drive.

Given that he does have all paperwork, etc on it, I'd be willing to pay a little more than $200 for it. Just trying to find out everything I should know about it before I make the purchase.

Yep, I was using Craigslist. Actually, $300 is his starting point. I would hope I could jimmy him down from there a little.

From what he claims, it was purchased in the past couple of months and he has the receipt to prove it. If I were to agree on a price, I'd certainly give it the once over before finalizing the deal. Is the warranty seal on the back of the unit or something whereby you can't open up the system without breaking it? I think the old school Tivo was like that when I put in my larger hard drive.

Given that he does have all paperwork, etc on it, I'd be willing to pay a little more than $200 for it. Just trying to find out everything I should know about it before I make the purchase.

The warranty seal is behind the faceplate.

I would say its a good price. I just sold my repaired premium non hdmi for $315 on craigslist. I got 10% off and it paid for another brand new. Which is a falcon 0805. The same your buying. A word of caution. If it has the older style warranty seal. There is a "method" of removing it and not damaging the sticker. That way you can mod it. Now my repaired 360. Came back with the newest style sticker. It even had a piece of wire or some thing in it. Practically impossible to remove. My new 360 has the older style of sticker that can easily be removed undetected. You would think. It would have the newest style. Times are rough yes. But, common man. Don't low ball the poor guy even more. Obviously he needs the money. Hes already taking $50 off and adding a $60 game.

Yep, I was using Craigslist. Actually, $300 is his starting point. I would hope I could jimmy him down from there a little.

From what he claims, it was purchased in the past couple of months and he has the receipt to prove it. If I were to agree on a price, I'd certainly give it the once over before finalizing the deal. Is the warranty seal on the back of the unit or something whereby you can't open up the system without breaking it? I think the old school Tivo was like that when I put in my larger hard drive.

Given that he does have all paperwork, etc on it, I'd be willing to pay a little more than $200 for it. Just trying to find out everything I should know about it before I make the purchase.

I tend to be a frugal guy, and it sounds like this a Xbox 'pro', which can be had for $349 (and if you buy from Amazon etc, no taxes). Considering that around Xmas time it included Forza 2 and Marval Ultmate Aliance, I am not sure that is neccesarily a 'great' deal. CoD4 can be had frquently for $39.99 (new). Simlarly, remember that if you want wireless access, you will have to buy the network adaptor, and also a subscription for live (~$40) to play on-line. Saving $50 to buy a 'used' console may be worth it to you, but I would not consider it a 'great' deal. I think $250 would be a great deal, something in between might be reasonable.

I wouldn't pay more than $175 for a used Xbox 360 premium package. I'm talking wireless controller, 20 gig hard drive, component cable, power brick, etc.


Here are some things to consider when buying used:


1. Original purchase date:

Yes, MS has a 3 year warranty on the 3 red lights. But, not every 360 is going to have a 3 red lights problem. There are other problems that are only covered with the full 1 year warranty from purchase date. You have to figure that if somebody is having disc reading errors, they might try to dump the unit off to somebody else, before it stops working alltogether. So be sure that there is some time left on the original 1 year warranty that covers EVERYTHING. Never buy a used 360 with an original purchase date of more than 1 year ago, UNLESS it has the 3 red lights (more on that later)

2. Are you getting all the key accessories with it?

No use in buying a used 360 if you aren't also getting a wireless controller in good working order, a 20 gig hard drive, a power brick, and a component cable. The power brick is especially essential. They are very expensive to purchase seperately. Wireless controllers aren't cheap either. Same thing with the Hard Drive. If it doesn't have a component cable, I could live with that, cause you can find one of those for $10 easily.

3. What about the 3 red rings of death?

Well, actually, buying an Xbox 360 that currently has the 3 red rings of death is one of the smartest things you can do. (You're probably thinking WTF???) Here's why.... If you buy an Xbox 360 that currently has the 3 red rings of death, and that 360 hasn't been tampered with (opened up internally, factory seals broken, modded, etc), then you are actually much better off, than buying a 360 that is currently working, but could have a disc read error or other issue (that isn't covered by the 3 red rings warranty), at any time. Xbox 360's are ticking time bombs. Might as well buy one that currently has the 3 red rings, because:


1. You can get them cheap.

People who are absolutely addicted to Xbox Live are in a panic when their 360 red rings, and they want to be up and running immediately, and don't want to have to wait for a 3 to 5 week repair process. They want to get back to playing immediately. They are often willing to sell their red ringed 360 for pennies on the dollar. The last two 360's I bought were 3 red rings 360's for $175 each, and they came with everything that you get with a premium, and I even got a few games thrown in for good measure:D

2. Warranty is fully transferable:

Unlike Sony, Microsoft is willing to transfer ownership and the warranty. Both the 1 year warranty that covers pretty much everything, and the 3 year warranty on the 3 red lights.

3. No out of pocket expense to get repaired:

All you do is call MS, transfer the ownership into your name (and warranty), start a repair order, then MS will send you a coffin within a matter of about 5 business days. You just put the dead 360 in the box and take it to a UPS Store, and MS covers the cost of shipping. It might take 3 to 5 weeks for the whole entire process, but big deal. You're getting a premium package for $175 out the door, instead of $349.99 plus tax, what do you expect?

4. It actually get's back to you much faster than you think:

Microsoft is repairing and shipping these puppies back alot faster than they used to do it. The key is to immediately put your dead 360 in the coffin, the minute you get the coffin, and to get to that UPS store right away and get that puppy shipped off. The last red ringed 360 that I bought for $175, I got it back in 3 weeks total. It was a really fast process.

5. When you get the 360 back, you have a new 1 year warranty that covers EVERYTHING!!!!

This is easily the most important thing. The best part of buying somebodies dead 360, is that after you get it repaired at MS (at no cost to you), when it comes back, it comes with a new 1 year Warranty (from the date of your repair), that covers EVERYTHING!!!! This is much better than what you would have from buying somebodies used 360 that is working fine. That 360 could have disc reading errors or some other issue, at any moment. If it's been more than 1 year from the original purchase date, you are SOL. With a 3 red ringed 360, you have a full 1 year of coverage on EVERYTHING!!!. You also have whatever is remaining from the 3 years of red ring coverage.

6. Usually MS gives you a 1 month Xbox Live Gold card:

This isn't really all that special, but hey, it's 1 free month...


REMEMBER - IF YOU BUY A 3 RED RINGS 360, MAKE SURE IT HASN'T BEEN TAMPERED WITH. MAKE SURE THE FACTORY SEALS ARE INTACT. MAKE SURE IT HASN'T BEEN MODDED. BUY IT FROM SOMEBODY LOCALLY. GO TO THE PERSONS HOUSE TO BUY IT. SO YOU KNOW WHERE THE GUY LIVES. MAKE SURE HE'S LEGIT. ALSO, GET THE DUDES ADDRESS AND NAME AND STUFF, CAUSE WHEN YOU CALL 1-800 - 4MYXBOX TO TRANSFER THE OWNERSHIP AND WARRANTY INTO YOUR NAME, MS WILL ASK YOU FOR THE PREVIOUS OWNERS NAME AND ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER. THEY JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE 360 WASN'T STOLEN OR SOMETHING.