Chrism said:
Jags i came across isle royal online i called quadrafire and they told me it was a 2003 stove the people are asking $1500 for the stove is that a good deal?
Okay - now your down to the nitty gritty. That stove is roughly the vintage of mine, and with abuse being the exception, it probably couldn't have been run any harder than mine has been...so...This stove is advertised as a $2600 stove, new. Things to look out for are signs of over firing.
Any chalking or flaking of the exterior paint
The condition of the firebrick. The brick IS considered a consumable but if you notice that it is severely degraded on an 8 yr old stove it may signal some abuse.
There is an angle iron bracket inside and to the back that holds the back firebrick in place. Check the condition of that. It can be a sort of litmus test. If it is in fine shape - this stove has probably not seen a bunch of fires. Even with what I would consider normal use, mine is starting to degrade and I will probably have to make a replacement in a year or two (easy to do).
If you have the ability - take along a very strong light. Place it in the stove and look at the seams of the different panels, from the outside. You are looking for light that escapes past the joints - signaling that some maintenance will need to be done. If no light, your probably good to go.
Check the re-burn tubes for signs of fatigue.
Check the gaskets on the top load door and the two front doors for condition.
If top load is an interest, make sure that the linkage works smoothly. (I don't use top load)
Take pics - the collective minds of this site will be able to give a pretty good overview of the stove.
On Price - your call. This stove is rated as a pretty clean burning EPA stove and being cast will out live you or me, with normal maintenance. Look at the overall condition of the stove. If it looks new, that would weigh heavily on the price point to me.
Hope this helps.