My very first starter was gotten when I bought a flight box and it had a broken wire inside on the motor. I took it apart and did the repair, soon after that the brushes went bad so I repaired it again. I finally bought a new one and used the old one as a back up too. I always keep my eyes opened for a good geared starter at the swap meets. Probably the best person to talk to when having a problem with fixing a used starter is John Buckner. I think John has a starter for every engine he owns and buys them used at swap meets. I have repaired a couple but he knows them inside and out. I was surprised he didn't post in your question. John would be my go to guy if I was having a problem.