G'Day,
As the discussion has not been moved into the "Equipment Thread" I would like to add my comments regarding buying a "Used DOB" I agree with most of what has been said so far and in particular the comment made by "
Wavelandscott " and I quote in part:
"A quality well cared for telescope may not "devalue" or depraciate like a car (or other consumable good) as it does not necessarily get "consumed" through use...there is no reason that a well crafted and cared for optical system could not be or should not be valued as much or higher than contemparary bits of gear (or the price it was when it was made). If I take care of my Pentax/Nagler eyepieces they should last a lifetime...yes, they may be displaced by newer/better technology or coatings and lose relative value but, the eyepiece itself (assuming appropriate care is used) should last and perform the same tomorrow as it does today...so I am not sure that the "age" of a quality dob (or other telescope) will reduce it's cost"
In my case I imported my 18" DOB "Truss" scope from the USA and although I would never expect to recover the cost of shipping,customs duty, exchange rate etc: I would not be selling it as in a "Fire sale" I've looked after the scope well and it has been well stored as has my Nagler eyepieces.Just because it's now 17 yrs old or young
it's still as good as the day I received it, and was not "mass produced" like some of the DOB's are today and was 3 months in the making,testing etc before shipping. Now that I've finished my Observatory I will have the time to assemble it and put it up for sale and be able to show anyone who would be interested in buying it. My point is this,no Telescope (Goto's excepted because of the computer inside) do not have a "Use by Date" if they have been looked after and cared for. As others have said in this forum if you have the money,and you have said as much,then get yourself a scope that will last you for years to come. I wish you luck in finding a scope that will give you many many years of viewing be it a used or new one
.
Cheers
Arthur
P.S. The scope has only been used a few times since I stopped going to Ilford back in late 1994.and has not be stored under a " tarpaulin "
