Are there any cons to buying a used Wii?

[ManicRaider]

I have enough to buy a new Wii but my frugality is telling me to get a used one. Are there any cons to getting a used Wii? I know the warranty will be based on the store's own agreement (I'm getting it from GameStop) but what else should I look out for? Or should I just stop being a cheapo and get a new one?

[ModestMr.Green]

It depends on a few things. Does your store have the Mario Kart bundle in-stock? If it only has the NSMBWii bundle, you're going to be getting the new model Wii that doesn't have backward-compatibility with GameCube games. It's also worth mentioning that GameStop is currently giving away free one-year warranties, if that helps.

[chris_the_wing]

I believe that as long as the Wii was never registered on Club Nintendo you can still register it as long as the serial number is still in tacked. Buying a new Wii will give you a new console that in theory will last longer, but you should also make sure that if you buy a new Wii it isn't one of the streamlined models that don't have Gamecube support.

Buying used at Gamestop will save you $50, but you won't get a packin game or a Wii Motion + remote.

[Mirr0rR3flection]

I have enough to buy a new Wii but my frugality is telling me to get a used one. Are there any cons to getting a used Wii? I know the warranty will be based on the store's own agreement (I'm getting it from GameStop) but what else should I look out for? Or should I just stop being a cheapo and get a new one?

In my opinion if your going to get a Wii it should all depend on one thing and that is if you care about it having Gamecube support. If you don't then just get a new Wii that comes bundled with a game.

[MAGNUS-8M]

Probably the onboard storage. It uses flash-memory, sort of like the memory cards GCN used, except you can't just swap it out easily if it corrupts. And supposedly they can only be saved to so-many times before they corrupt, and then you'd be shipping in upwards of 75 bucks(or more) without warranty to get it replaced...and an extra 75 bucks would probably get you a new Wii easily. Although I'm not sure if any of the new Wiis being sold still have GCN support or not, if you cared for it.

Well that's mostly what I'd worry about. Maybe the condition of the disc-drive since mine sometimes sputters if I haven't used it for a few months(maybe dust gets into it, I dunno). Otherwise the Wii is a pretty solid little machine, so unless they modded it or corrupted the memory before turning it into GS, it should be fine mostly. But you just never know how long that flash-memory is going to last..

[hellfire888]

if you're buying one used, make sure you check the vents to see if it has any bad clumped up dust particles in it.. if it does, then it was more than likely used well.. also, check pawnshops.. two of them in my town are selling them used for $70.. granted, some of them were pawned off on them because they were on the verge of crapping out, but the pawnshops will let you inspect and test them out first..... i got one from a pawnshop for my nephew back in june, and it's still running great.. i just made sure that it was running correctly, and was in great condition..... u can also check the message board on the wii menu to see how much the system was played.. that info supposedly can't be erased.
hope this helps

[Autosaver]

Buying it used may not come with everything.

New ensures a brand new Wii, longer life time, FREE Mario soundtrack + Mario Galaxy, FREE Motion Plus Remote + Nunchuk.

Used may be an older Wii which includes the meh Wii Sports and older Wii Remote that is outdated.

[Mako]

You really should have gotten one over Black Friday, but there are still some great bundles out there. I don't have any problem buying used games, but I don't ever buy used consoles. You never know how the previous owner treated it after all, and they must have had a reason for selling it. I'm not saying all used consoles had bad owners, but just make everything is working properly if you do get a used one...

[ManicRaider]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'm going to get a new one. I wasn't going to get many GC games anyway.

[hellfire888]

there is still a few deals out there on the new ones... mainly the ones where you buy the system and get a $20 to $50 gift card with purchase... i'd look for the mario kart bundle that has the backwards compatibility(you can get great gamecube games for cheap now)... plus nobody knows how good the new slims are yet.. they haven't been out long enough to really know(the original wii has a 3% crash ratio).......................... though, i should be the last one to say that, our wii has broke 3 or 4 times.. since they replaced it with a new one, i haven't really had any problems... i think the first one i had was just a lemon.