I'm sorely tempted by the discounted prices I'm seeing for refurbished PS3s, but my question is: do they last?  I'm always afraid that their real problem hasn't been fixed, and they'll just die again as they had once before...

 

But, honestly, I have no experience with refurbished material.  Have you had a good or bad experience with them?

My brother in law bought one and has had it for 6 months. It works just fine for him and hasn't seen any real wear. Refurbished is cool to me. Get it cheaper just for it being used.  

I HAD a refurbished Wii. The disc reader/lens died pretty quickly and the system started making buzz-saw noises. You can always return them if you experience problems, though. I bought a new Wii after that incident. What's the price difference between a new and refurbished PS3?

I put myself off refurbished when I was researching it since a lower price attracted me while shopping online.  I have no problem with used stuff, my 3DS is used and perfect, with no scratches and came with some games already installed on it as well as the registration codes to get stars on clubnintendo.  But the idea of ripping pieces out of hardware and then putting new pieces  in beside it but not completely replacing everything would put me off.  There'd be pieces that are older than the newer replacements installed that logically would go first.  Also if it's refurbished it was returned to a store because it failed and they're trying to salvage it to make money off it.  That puts me off too.

I had a friend who bought a refurbished one, it was working alright for awhile. Then he started having problems with it as time passed

I HAD a refurbished Wii. The disc reader/lens died pretty quickly and the system started making buzz-saw noises. You can always return them if you experience problems, though. I bought a new Wii after that incident. What's the price difference between a new and refurbished PS3?

I'm looking at a $50 price difference.  I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but to me at the moment $50 is huge.  I'm kind of reluctant to get a refurbished one too, but I never thought about getting some kind of warranty or guarantee on it.  That's a great idea; thanks.

 

I put myself off refurbished when I was researching it since a lower price attracted me while shopping online.  I have no problem with used stuff, my 3DS is used and perfect, with no scratches and came with some games already installed on it as well as the registration codes to get stars on clubnintendo.  But the idea of ripping pieces out of hardware and then putting new pieces  in beside it but not completely replacing everything would put me off.  There'd be pieces that are older than the newer replacements installed that logically would go first.  Also if it's refurbished it was returned to a store because it failed and they're trying to salvage it to make money off it.  That puts me off too.

That's my thoughts exactly!  Problem is, I don't want to have to deal with eBay.  I don't mind purchasing small things off there, but not a $200 system when I seriously don't know how the seller's treated it.  At least gamestop's got to be more answerable to their customers, eh?  I just wish Gamestop actually sold the PS3s used; then I'd be all over that.

 

*sigh*, I don't know which to go after.  My mom's telling me she's had great experiences with refurbished and I should go for it, but I don't know...  With that much money, I just don't want to make the wrong choice, y'know?

A few months ago i bought a refurbishd 360gb ps3 and it's just like new. The performance is amazing and it shows no signs of wear and use. But that's just my PS3. Either way though, I recommend you buy a ps3 from gamestop.

I'm looking at a $50 price difference.  I know it doesn't sound like a lot, but to me at the moment $50 is huge.  I'm kind of reluctant to get a refurbished one too, but I never thought about getting some kind of warranty or guarantee on it.  That's a great idea; thanks.

 

That's my thoughts exactly!  Problem is, I don't want to have to deal with eBay.  I don't mind purchasing small things off there, but not a $200 system when I seriously don't know how the seller's treated it.  At least gamestop's got to be more answerable to their customers, eh?  I just wish Gamestop actually sold the PS3s used; then I'd be all over that.

 

*sigh*, I don't know which to go after.  My mom's telling me she's had great experiences with refurbished and I should go for it, but I don't know...  With that much money, I just don't want to make the wrong choice, y'know?

 

I get what you're saying, I wouldn't trust buying something that's expensive (I mean, £5 or so for a used game is fine, because if it fails that's a little cash that's lost but home consoles are typically in the 200+ range) used off ebay, I used play.com for all my games and consoles, just checked and there's a £85 ($135) difference between a new and used console on that, however that site is specific only to the UK I think ): 

Would your mother be willing to make a deal, if you get refurbished and it fails she gives you half the price of it back ?

Hmph, if it was me I'd personally wait to save the extra bit for a brand new one, I'd feel more insured with it.

I saw some pre-owned ones on gamestops website but they all say out of stock, have you tried checking the store though?  Gamestop far as I know either owns GAME )or GAME owns Gamestop) and last time I went past a GAME store in store it was selling PS3's (new) at £100 ($154)

I get what you're saying, I wouldn't trust buying something that's expensive (I mean, £5 or so for a used game is fine, because if it fails that's a little cash that's lost but home consoles are typically in the 200+ range) used off ebay, I used play.com for all my games and consoles, just checked and there's a £85 ($135) difference between a new and used console on that, however that site is specific only to the UK I think ): 

Would your mother be willing to make a deal, if you get refurbished and it fails she gives you half the price of it back ?

Hmph, if it was me I'd personally wait to save the extra bit for a brand new one, I'd feel more insured with it.

I saw some pre-owned ones on gamestops website but they all say out of stock, have you tried checking the store though?  Gamestop far as I know either owns GAME )or GAME owns Gamestop) and last time I went past a GAME store in store it was selling PS3's (new) at £100 ($154)

Haha!  Would be sweet, but nah; I wouldn't want to ask that of her.  I just asked her advice, really.  She's leaving it up to me.  And, actually, I do have the funds to get new, I'd just rather not if I can help it.  I'm going to see how much an additional warranty on a refurbished PS3 costs, and if it ends up being within $30 of the new I'll probably just get new.  As you said, it's more guaranteed than buying it refurbished.

 

I don't think I've ever seen a GAME store before...  But I think you mentioned that you were in the UK, right?  I'm in The States, and I think we might have different game stores.  But still, $154 is such a sweet deal for a brand new PS3.  Here they run about $250, whereas Amazon has them for a whopping $270.

Haha!  Would be sweet, but nah; I wouldn't want to ask that of her.  I just asked her advice, really.  She's leaving it up to me.  And, actually, I do have the funds to get new, I'd just rather not if I can help it.  I'm going to see how much an additional warranty on a refurbished PS3 costs, and if it ends up being within $30 of the new I'll probably just get new.  As you said, it's more guaranteed than buying it refurbished.

 

I don't think I've ever seen a GAME store before...  But I think you mentioned that you were in the UK, right?  I'm in The States, and I think we might have different game stores.  But still, $154 is such a sweet deal for a brand new PS3.  Here they run about $250, whereas Amazon has them for a whopping $270.

 

I was under the impression that Gamestop owned GAME, just branded it differently here, but upon searching I've found out I've been lied to T__T It appears it's linked to Gamestation instead, and I don't know if that's in the states They've had to start lowering their prices considerably since they nearly went into liquidation, just like HMV is right now (sells games, music and dvds).  Yay for triple dip recessions !

I'm from Northern Ireland, part of Ireland but under the rule of the UK (which causes many lovely riots to occur)

Amazon surprises me, you'd think cause it's an online store you could get things cheaper on it but in all my experience with electronics on it it's either higher or the exact same price as retail stores /:

If you can get a good warranty where it'll be replaced if it fails for under the price of a new one I'd try it out, otherwise just to feel more secure i'd go with a new one.

I too have been on the lookout for a PS3. Thinking about going ahead on a deal I found on Amazon for a new 250gb slim model. I think I'd rather get a new one than risk getting one that's "Like New" and ends up with dents and scratches, not to mention any system problems down the line (those descriptons are subjective after all) but that's just me. Nowadays I try my best to stay away from Gamestop though, since they've screwed me over so many times in the past. Good luck on your purchase!

Got a 60GB Refurbished PS3 from Gamestop a little over a year ago. Works totally fine - unfortunately, I later found out that the 60GB model is loud and prone to hardware failure, so I bought a newer model a few months ago.

 

Funny story: The newer model I bought on Amazon was a 250GB Slim. However, when it arrived, I found out that they shipped me a 2012 Black Friday SUPER Slim by accident (the one that comes with Uncharted 1&2 and inFamous 1&2.) They never emailed me about the problem, so I just kept it. 4 free games FTW.

DO NOT buy a refurbished PS3. To make a long long long story short. My fat PS3 malfunctioned, and I had to send it to Sony. They sent it back, and less than a year later, it malfunctioned again. I had to buy a PS3 slim.

Thanks for all your help, guys!  I now have a brand new PS3 that I love and adore.  I decided the risk of getting a refurbished one just wasn't worth $50.  It seems like it's sometimes alright, but not always.

Thanks for all your help, guys!  I now have a brand new PS3 that I love and adore.  I decided the risk of getting a refurbished one just wasn't worth $50.  It seems like it's sometimes alright, but not always.

 

What model did you get? I have a slim.

What model did you get? I have a slim.

Mine's a 320 GB slim.  Though after having owned a PS2 slim, I never would've guessed this would be considered slim!  It's so thick and heavy.

Mine's a 320 GB slim.  Though after having owned a PS2 slim, I never would've guessed this would be considered slim!  It's so thick and heavy.

 

Good. I'm glad you didn't get the "Super Slim".