Looking To Buy...Best Place For A Used Tivo

[robinmthomas]

My DirectTV isn't working out -- Signal isn't great so we are returning out system, however, that means our DirectTivo is going with it and we are now Tivo converts -- Gotta have our Tivo.

So, looking online at www.tivo.com, a new Tivo is $200 for a Series2. I did some searches eBay and there are so many different models, series, etc.

So, here are some questions I am hoping someone can answer:

1 - What are the differences between Series 1 and 2? I was thinking about getting a Series 1 because I assumed they would be cheaper. Am I wrong? Is a Series 2 a must-have? Why?

2 - What models should I look for or what models should I stay away from?

3 - Where is the best place to buy a used Tivo? eBay? I thought Tivo used to sell refurbished units, but I couldn't find anything on their website.

4 - Do SA TIVOs have dual tuners? Does that work with a single cable input or cable splitter?

5 - Should I look at buying a pre-hacked Tivo and save myself the trouble? I feel leary buying a "hacked Tivo" from some dude on eBay. Is there any reputable place (that you guys can vouch for) selling modified Tivos?

And in the off-chance that someone is looking to sell theirs, post your price! Thanks!

[fixn278]

Series 1's are generally more expensive because they are easier to hack.

S1's are PPC while S2 are MIPS. Other than the Home Media option, the current capabilities are the same.

Standalone Tivo's only have one input.

You can certainly buy pre-hacked, but if you do, when something goes wrong (hard drive failure or Tivo software upgrade), you will be on your own with no knowledge of how it was hacked or what to do. All of the information is readily available here. I highly recommend learning and doing it yourself.

If you want a used Tivo, post a request in the Buy/Sell/Trade forum and if someone has one for sale, they will reply.

[captain_video]

From what I've seen on ebay, unhacked series 1 SA Tivos are dirt cheap. There are plenty of auctions for barebones S1 SA units without a hard drive for $69.00. You will still have to subscribe to the Tivo service at $12.95/month or $299.00 for a lifetime sub. Pre-hacked SA Tivos fetch a premium price, especially if they come with a legit lifetime sub. If you factor in all of the costs involved, a pre-hacked model with a lifetime sub may not be a bad option if you don't want to be bothered with hacking it. The only caveat is that unless you know what's involved with installing and troubleshooting the hacks then you may be SOL if it develops a problem. Don't expect support from this forum for hacks you didn't install yourself.

If you do buy a used Tivo I would highly recommend that the first thing you do is back up the hard drive. There's no way of knowing how long the drive will continue to function in your Tivo if it's been used previously. If the drive dies then you'll want to be able to get it up and running as quickly as possible with minimal fuss. Having a backup image will allow you to do just that. If you install any hacks then you definitely want a backup of the latest hacked image so you can restore them easily without doing a complete reinstallation from scratch.