Refurbished and/or used equipment

[SquarePeg]

Follow up question? Is a $200 difference enough of a discount to consider refurbished if buying a D 7000 that comes with the 18 to 105 lens? Now that the D 7100 is out the D 7000 is on sale, I get a better discount buying that with the kit lens of 18 to 105 then just buy them separately as two refurbished items. $1200 new vs. $1000 refurb. Warranty wise, I get an extra year over manufacturers warranty if I use my Amex to buy the new. No extra coverage from the Amex if I buy refurb. Too many decisions!

 

[Ballistics]

Follow up question? Is a $200 difference enough of a discount to consider refurbished if buying a D 7000 that comes with the 18 to 105 lens? Now that the D 7100 is out the D 7000 is on sale, I get a better discount buying that with the kit lens of 18 to 105 then just buy them separately as two refurbished items. $1200 new vs. $1000 refurb. Warranty wise, I get an extra year over manufacturers warranty if I use my Amex to buy the new. No extra coverage from the Amex if I buy refurb. Too many decisions!

That's up to you. But for $200, I think I'd go new.

 

[SquarePeg]

Follow up question? Is a $200 difference enough of a discount to consider refurbished if buying a D 7000 that comes with the 18 to 105 lens? Now that the D 7100 is out the D 7000 is on sale, I get a better discount buying that with the kit lens of 18 to 105 then just buy them separately as two refurbished items. $1200 new vs. $1000 refurb. Warranty wise, I get an extra year over manufacturers warranty if I use my Amex to buy the new. No extra coverage from the Amex if I buy refurb. Too many decisions!

That's up to you. But for $200, I think I'd go new.

I tend to agree and thanks for your opinion. That's about 16% off which is not a very significant savings in dollars at this price point,, especially considering that I would get the extended warranty free if I buy new.

Out of curiosity, I checked a few other items new vs. refurb and the price differences were all over the map from 17% (d7000, d5100) up to 36% (Nikon 18-200mm). All this research has me wondering what those who frequently buy manufacturer refurbished equipment find is the typical savings? Is there a certain percentage price difference vs. new that you would need to see before you consider it worth it?

 

[SquarePeg]

Just wanted to follow up to say I found the 18-105 refurbished for $209 today on Adorama which is a good price based on what Nikon and BH were asking for the same item refurbished when they have it in stock. So now I can shop for a body only and hopefully find a deal on that.

Thanks all for your input and advice.

 

[KmH]

Who refurbished the lens Adorama has, what is the warranty, and who is providing the warranty?

Edit: I went to Adorama's web site. It's refurbished by Nikon, and it has Nikon's 90-day USA warranty. http://www.adorama.com/NK18105VRR.html

 

[SquarePeg]

Yes, that's the one. $30 less than the refurbished one from the Nikon Outlet (which is out of stock anyway) and $65 less than the used one they had on BH which was in "Shows signs of use, but very clean" condition.

 

[coastalconn]

Cameta is the same price, but includes an extra 9 months of warranty past Nikon's 90 day...

 

[SquarePeg]

Cameta is the same price, but includes an extra 9 months of warranty past Nikon's 90 day...

Argh! Too late to cancel I think but I may give them a call in the AM. Next time I'll include them in my searching. Thanks for giving me buyers remorse before I even get the package, lol.

 

[coastalconn]

I just remembered Adoram has a "VIP Club" your $7.95 you can extend the warranty on a refurbs to 1 year Adorama VIP - It's all about you! Might want to call and make sure it wil cover your purchase. No remorse needed

 

[SquarePeg]

I ended up buying a refurb 5100 from Cameta for $399 (thanks CoastalConn for the tip on the warranty). I had circled around a lot on what to get and changed my mind 3 times at least in the last 24 hours. After reading more reviews and comparisons than anyone could possibly need, and checking out all 3 cameras last night (7000, 5200 and 5100) I finally decided to buy the 5100 and spend the rest of my money on other accessories/lenses as the need arises. I should be able to get a nice flash and then see what type of prime lens would complement what I have already.

So in total I spent $609 for the 5100 and the 18-105. Not bad I think. Both manufacturer refurbs. The camera with a 1 year warranty and the lens with 90 days. Was not able to add that VIP to a previous purchase for the lens.

Long term I'd like to get something like the 7100 but only if I "earn it" with some progress on my results over the next few years.

edited to add that I also got $10.20 cash back via Fatwallet since I went to cameta via their link.