Is a second hand Nikon D5000 worth a buy?

[ric_hunter]

<p>I've read an ad from the net about selling his Nikon D5000 with the following conditions:</p>

<p><strong>Equipment Type :</strong> DSLR<br /> <strong>Equipment Brand :</strong> Nikon<br /> <strong>Equipment Model :</strong> Nikon D5000 kit with AF-S DX Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR Lens<br /> <strong>Price (S$) :</strong> <strong>970 firm</strong> <br /> <strong>Description :</strong> <br /> A 4 months old mint condition Nikon D5000 kit for sale. Want to upgrade to Nikon D300S soon. Kept in digi cabi dry cabin since day one. Shutter count 9.1K. (Nikon D5000 specs Shutter lifespan is 100,000)<br /> <br /> Throw in a few valuable free gift:<br /> 1. Extra Camera Battery (worth SGD 30)<br /> 2. Tokina UV filter for kit lens. (worth SGD 25)<br /> 3. Nikon Original Leather Camera Bag. This bag can easily carry more than 3-4 lenses and flash accessories. (worth SGD 40+)<br /> <br /> <strong> </strong> <br /> <strong>Condition of Item (<a href="http://forums.clubsnap.org/showthread.php?p=237546#post237546">as per guidelines</a> ) :</strong> 10<br /> <strong>Warranty Status :</strong> 8 mths<br /> <br /> <strong>Package/Accessories/Extras :</strong> <br /> All accessories bought with the kits in the box are included.</p>

<p>the regular price of such kit in one of the reputable shops here in Singapore today is at S$ 1170 with the 8gb SD card and lowepro bag as included in the promo.</p>

<p>should i get this deal? please help....thanks!!!</p>

[Guest]

<p>You can buy new cheaper than that. Check amazon</p>

[hal_b]

<p>Big rip off. You can't compare "Retail New" vs "Online Used". Retail will always charge you too much, and used is no comparison. When shopping online, look at *NEW* items. You will save hundreds off of retail prices for the exact same item in new condition. Current going price online for this camera new with lens: $725. Amazon has it for $702 with free shipping included. I just checked.</p>

[hal_b]

<p>Sheesh, I just realized you are giving prices in Singapore Dollars.</p>

<p>As of today, Nov 5, 2009:<br>

SGD 970 = $695 USD<br>

SGD 1170 = $839 USD</p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

[Dieter Schaefer]

<p>Go for it. One thing you may want to check beforehand though is whether the warranty will still be valid - often it only applies to the original owner and does not transfer.</p>

[jim_momary]

<p>New camera = 1 year warranty and probably = 5 years on lens.<br>

Used system = no warranty, as far as I know,<br>

Jim</p>

[albert_lee1]

<p>man i got my new d5000 body for $585 so that is a huge ripoff</p>

[Wouter Willemse]

<p>9.1k actuations in 4 months... Sounds quite heavily used to me.</p>

<p>(the 100k "lifespan" is not garantued, it's the average expected lifespan, do not put too much trust in that!).<br>

For the money, I'd prefer a new one. A lot.</p>

[akira]

<p>"As of today, Nov 5, 2009:<br>

SGD 970 = $695 USD<br /> SGD 1170 = $839 USD"<br>

That's still a rip-off. Today's chapest offered price of brand new D5000 with VR 18-55 kit zoom is 61,169 JPY=665 USD.</p>

[ric_hunter]

<p>thanks a lot guys! you really helped me a lot...as you know im still a "would be buyer" of a DSLR for the first time....</p>

<p>thanks for cautioning me....!!!</p>

[scott_long1]

<p>I would definitely verify the serial number when buying your D5000 second hand, particularly at https://www.nikondealernet.com/saD5000/. There was a recall on many D5000 models that are still circulating even on CL and Ebay. You can read more about this at http://www.nikonusa.com/Service-And-Support/Service-Advisories/gezwvxil/D5000%20Service%20Advisory.html. I recently purchased a second hand D5000 body with all accessories for an amazingly low price of $350 locally on CL. I had forgotten about the 2009 recall on this model, and when I went to verify my serial number on that website, sure enough my camera was affected by this recall. I suspect this may have been why the guy sold it for so cheap! The good thing is that I was still able to get the preventative repair at no cost (the camera was working great before I even sent it in, still works great afterwards), even though it was recalled more than a year ago. You may want to check with a Nikon rep to make sure that if you do buy one secondhand that is affected by the recall of 2009, that you would still be able to get the necessary work done.</p>