Did I make a mistake??

Iam so torn. Well at least i have time on my side the guy said he would hod it.

Yup. Same reason I bought the Encore in the first place. Wife wanted a Pipi Longstockings stove to look at every day. But when it got cold, the complaints I got were worse that those I would have gotten from a black stove. A very happy comprimise was the Napoleon (out of your budget though). Good looking, high heat, reliable and if you buy from the guys I bought from, its backed by the best I have ever heard of.

Even if you buy it, consider it "cheap tuition" for and education in the university of wood burning. The next time you buy a stove, you will be much smarter.

I think you might find an Englander on sale for about $700.

It could be a great deal but if your unsure if it meets your needs, what to look for when evaluating the condition and not experienced with modern stoves it may be wise to walk away from this one and find a reputable local dealer to help.

Joful you seem to hate VC more than those of us who own them.....

Color options? Many stove offer colors... Most cast iron stoves offer enamel choices. Jotul, Pacific Energy, Quadrafire, etc. And yes with Woodstock you get to choose both the iron color and the stone color

I bought my Napoleon 1900 6 years ago out of the local classifieds from a private owner, it was used but in excellent condition, for $800.00, which included the blower. I was leary of buying it because my local Napoleon dealer is an ass, but we love the stove.......it heats our 2750 sq. ft. perfectly. When I bought my Napoleon NZ3000 off of a dealer in Colorado, he considered my 1900 under him as well and anything I need he sends me, free of charge. Got the new, thicker Vortex baffles last year from him, shipped to my house, no charge at all. Great guy.

My point of this post is to look around, Lucky13evo. There are deals out there, by the sounds of this stove you put money down on it's going to be giving you grief, so I'd cut my losses beforehand and get one you are going to enjoy and be happy with......just my .02 cents...

Not the stoves... just the company. I have a serious problem with any company that has such a poor track record of supporting their own product. I actually spent a good part of last spring and summer considering a new Encore or Defiant, simply because I could not find another similarly-attractive cat or hybrid stove on the market. At the time, past and recent actions of the company actually caused more apprehension than the stoves themselves. After I read NinoVitale's thread, in which several rear burn plates were broken by various users of the latest Encore, I decided to just buy another used Jotul instead.

Lucky, welcome to the forum. My two cents: see if you can get your $100 back and look into an Englander 30. Many forum members have bought these stoves for under $1000, and nothing but praise. Learning to burn properly in a wood stove is enough work. Having a questionable unit with a questionable track record that was pieced together from two other units, sounds like a lot of variables. I mean the VC may run awesome for you and might be the best $500 you ever spend, but it could be a total headache. So if it were me I'd talk to the guy about getting my $100 back apologize for wasting his time and move towards an Englander.

Either way good luck with your decision. Go get some firewood now so you're ready for next year.