BruceLBarner

Like most I like looking around for some deals on stuff because money trees do not grow so well around here.
What I find funny is all the good deals you seam to be able to find on engines.
Why do so many of you guys buy engines and run only one tank of fuel in them and then sell them at such good prices? I mean an engine that only has one 8 or 10 ounces of fuel is not even considered broke in yet.

Just wondering....hummmmm...

*Crash*Johnson*

My Feedback: (7)

I've wondered the same thing... The engine cost $85.99 new and after "5 tanks" you want to sell it for $50? Sometimes it makes sense (getting outta the hobby and have a bunch of things for sale)
Mostly I avoid deals like that, as they were probably broken in wrong or have some sort of problem that the owner wants to unload it...

FLYBOY

My Feedback: (11)

In my experience, if they say they only ran one tank, they are not telling you everything. I see a lot of low time engines for sale, and you can't always tell by looking at them. They sell for a lot of reasons though. There are some really good deals to be had. Some of my best engines were bought on people getting out of the hobby deals. Its amazing what people will sell everything for if you offer cash for all of it.

Hangtime

My Feedback: (19)

lets say yah buy a 'Divit Digger .40' plane and put a 'prop-finger .45' on it.. fly it a few times and yah realize the divit-digger is just too heavy to torque roll with the .45 engine.

you decide to get the 'bug-sucker .60' to solve the lackluster performance problem and rationalize the purchase of the new engine against the prospect of selling the old one.

since the divit-digger/prop finger combo is a big seller thanks to the mass-marketing promotional offer from Fly-By-Night Hobby Hackers, Inc; there's a pretty good supply of prop finger .45's floatin around out there.

as with anything else you might consider buying as used, consider the sellers track record, the engines pedigree and use your head.

<S!>

Charlie P.

I have a .46 size engine that looks like it came right out of the box. It starts easy and idles just a tad rough. But, the cylinder sleeve and piston are scoured because I missed some dirt when I cleaned it up after an auger-in. When throttle up it runs poorly and I get blow-by and no power. It needs a new piston and sleeve - which cost about 90% of what a new engine did.

I would never buy a used engine without a written guarantee or having been able to test run it myself.

Live Wire

How do you put 5 tanks through that little tinny line . Most of these people that sell the stuff are copy cats they copy other peoples adds , NEB, Classic, Vintage and so on , a lot of people don't know what they have or what its for!!! Same with the Buyer!!

Taildrager-inactive

My Feedback: (11)

I would and have bought used from RCU members. One look at the karma raiting says it all 99.99% of the time.

SunShyne

My Feedback: (68)

I agree, be cautious and ask alot of questions. I always ask for pics etc. I have had good luck so far with buying on RCU. my most recent purchase was not whiley as advertised so I was a bit dissapointed. Overall it was a good deal but some details were left out and I now have doubts about the info I was given. This also went the other way for me. I was sold an engine that was "barely used" and had only a tank or 2 put through it, when I got it it was almost impossible to tell from NIB so I got an awesome engine for an incredible price. With that said excersize caution and good luck

matt

AJF--2

My Feedback: (119)

Check the Karma. I have bought and sold tons of stuff here. When I say my stuff is good I back it up with a money back garantee. Check my karma from the people who have purchased from me and you will see that it is true. Personally, I love to own and fly different planes and at the moment I have a job that allows me to do that-- I sell most stuff to turn a quick buck so I can buy something else. If something flys lousey, then I will say so, but most of that stuff goes to the hobby store where my buddy buys it and then he passes it along. A good name is a very important thing to me, and I work hard to get and maintain one. If you pass on one of my deals simply because of you think it is too good to be true-- well.........I would call that "poor judgement"

BasinBum

My Feedback: (2)

You'd be amazed how many gallons of use you can take off with antifreeze and a crockpot.

idoxlr8-RCU

My Feedback: (17)

They buy so many engines, because they do not understand how engines work. I have 30+ Foxes that were given to me, or sold for $5 to $10 -- only to put them on the stand and have them run great.
I have had fellows sell me SuperTigres, ASP, Irvine just because they want the latest 4 strokes. Then after awhile, when their 4 strokes are acting up I'll trade them back their own old engine for the newer engine that is not running right now.

Then you got the guys who want what's over the rainbow so to speak.Case in point, two identical planes Funtana H9. One had a Saito .72 in it, mine had a YS .63. After a day of flying, (which mine had greater vertical and throttle response,) now there is a 72 for sale out at the field. Go figure! He never took into account fuel or prop being used, the amount of run time on the engines, etc. He is just going to install the YS and be done with it.

There you go - do not be afraid to buy a used engine. Unless you do not have the experience to deal with it. In which case I'll be taking it off your hands.

scottrc

Here is my rule of thumb on buying used engines and radio equipment. How much is the seller willing to go down to on price? Can I get spare parts? How much for things like a new sleeve, bearings, piston, seals and gaskets? Can the cost to rebuild and purchase of the used engine still be 25% less than buying new? If not, then I forgo the hassle and buy a new one. I've been burned on some OS and Magnums because the newbie didn't follow the directions on break-in. I feel safer buying a engine with high time than a "only two tanks" through it engine because a guy can really mess it up if not broken in properly.

von_Hammer

I knew a guy that would go to the hobby shop everytime a new 4 cycle engine would come out, buy it, run it on a bench, declare how perfect it was, how it was beautiful, best engine he ever had, then would be trading it in, or selling it, about a week later. It was all in the thrill of buying I think. Engines have that magic to them and some people just gotta have them- and some can't afford to have them all, so the thrill of the hunt, or being the first on the block, is the thing they enjoy. Once the new wears off, it's over. Heaven forbid what happens the week after they're married...

ALLISONMO2

My Feedback: (35)

i bought a ery used .15 ae engine from nitroman88 and it ran great. i have been scared by the thought of a used engine but this was a good deal. 40 bucks for a good engine. i think i may have just lucked into that one though. it seems more and more that kids are getting onto rcu and selling junk. this trend is starting to frightn me. i traded a truck for my xbox and sent just the console down and the games and controllers two days later just so i could use the truck and make sure it was ok. i feel a little bad but i have also been burned here so now i protect myself. buyer beware! definitely check karma and ask all questions no matter how silly they may seem.

JimTrainor

I bought 4 used engines recently: a surpass 120, surpass 48, a saito 80, and an italian made super tigre g90. Four engines for the price of 2 1/2. Three on ebay - there is an active market in used engines on ebay. An engine of relatively recent vintage that is worn but not damaged sells for around 60% of an equivalent (or nearly so) new engine. If the prices starts to push up beyond that I'm not much interested.

I've found I have no interest in buying used but "nearly new" if the price is also "nearly new".... why bother.

I thought about it and considered the engine to be the only part of the plane that I'd be comfortabe buying used. The plane itself is always of uncertain build quality and can easily suffer unseen damage, the electronics may have suffered unseen damage that could lead to failure or intermittent operation and are difficult to test thoroughly and gain complete confidence in before first use. Both could lead to loss of the plane.

But an engine simple to inspect, clean up, and repair if necessary. Bearings and such are easy to replace. Operation is easily confirmed on the bench. And a dead stick is not a distaster. I suppose it helps if you like tinkering with them.

If you do happen to get one that doesn't live up to its billing.... I think that is a risk you have to accept when buying used items, especially from strangers.

Gene Chernosky

My Feedback: (182)

I have bought many used engines through this website and others. Most were as advertised, some were less than that. I'd say the worst problem with a used engine is the likelyhood that the bearings are rusty, etc., most sellers are unaware that this problem exists when they are selling the engine, too. After that, particularily if the engine is almost new, is you have to wonder if it has been broken-in properly...as per your idea of a proper break-in since there are a lot of different ideas on how to properly break-in an engine. A lot of times someone will run an engine a few tanks and see that it doesn't do as much as they wanted it to do...so they sell it...sometimes REAL cheap...and that DOES make you wonder if they are simply 'unloading junk'. Then you have the guys who do the 'antifreeze clean' to an engine to make it look newer/cleaner. I'll admit I do that on occassion when an engine is real dirty, but I will tell you the truth aout how much running the engine has seen. As stated, karma does a LOT to make me trust a seller. Still, I do prefer to buy NIB engines so I know how they have been treated from the get-go.

Crash90

My Feedback: (17)

I have bought and sold a few engines. I currently have an os40la in the for sale section for 40.00. It has only a few tanks run thru it on the stand, Included is a few goodies. So I am one of those people you were referring to.

"Why do so many of you guys buy engines and run only one tank of fuel in them and then sell them at such good prices?"

In my case. I bought a Big Stik 40 by GP. ordered the 40la. Ran a few tanks thru it to break it in and mounted it. With everything moved forward I still needed 5oz lead in the nose.
I decdided to sell the engine to help fund the purchase of a larger engine.
I have a plane sitting here ready to fly with exception to the engine.
I want to sell the LA as quickly as possible.So I let it go cheap.

I guess there are many reasons this occurs. Sometimes it's just I want something else and I want it now. I need to sell ? first.

cabanestrut2002

if it seems too good to be true- it probably is.

you do get lucky sometimes though, some of my best engines are second hand bargains

ajcoholic

My Feedback: (10)

I have bought more used engines than I can remember. Heck, just last month I bought three more (two Fox .40's and a Fox 45 for $15 EACH!) and they are going in SPADS and are really good engines, well taken care of.

I have gotten many great deals on used engines, and believe it or not, not everyone selling at a "loss" is looking to screw you. I too have bought engines for a project, then changed my mind and dumped them for a lot less than new, simply to get some $$ back to use for something else. I also have gotten some "too good to be true" bargains that are flying in planes for many many years now.

Just be carefull and remember some engines out there for sale actually ARE a good deal.

AJC