Should I buy used 08 Quadrafire Mt. Vernon AE?

[IrishMountain]

I’m looking at buying a used stove but I’m completely new to stoves and what “good” condition looks like. The sellers says it’s in good condition but I thought I’d ask here rather than take their word for it. Here are some pictures of the 08 Mount Vernon AE. Let me know what you think. They are asking $2000 for it. Thanks!

 

[vinny11950]

The price seems high for a 2008 model. At this age, the stove could be nearing end of life, unless it has been well taken care of and you know how to keep it going. I am not familiar with that model, so I don't know how easy it is to get parts or how expensive they are . If replacements parts are too expensive it may not be worth it. If the metal is rusted out, cracked or warped I would pass.

Have you seen it in person? Does it run? Can the owner run it outside for a bit?

If it still runs and it looks good, and you really want it, I would counter with $1000 and see if you can meet somewhere in between. Best case scenario everything works and you just need to spend some cash on new gaskets. Worst case scenario, both fan motors are bad, the computer board is bad and you have to spend cash on them. Worst worst case is you take it home and find bad rust in the exchange tubes or a crack in the burn box somewhere.

If you go to look at it, take a powerful LED flash light and look all around the stove. Look inside and outside the exchange tubes. Make sure they look good. Look inside the burn box and look at the welds to see if they have cracks or too much rust. From the pictures it doesn't look too bad but the burn pot looks worn, which is what you would expect for a stove that age.

 

[IrishMountain]

The price seems high for a 2008 model. At this age, the stove could be nearing end of life, unless it has been well taken care of and you know how to keep it going. I am not familiar with that model, so I don't know how easy it is to get parts or how expensive they are . If replacements parts are too expensive it may not be worth it. If the metal is rusted out, cracked or warped I would pass.

Have you seen it in person? Does it run? Can the owner run it outside for a bit?

If it still runs and it looks good, and you really want it, I would counter with $1000 and see if you can meet somewhere in between. Best case scenario everything works and you just need to spend some cash on new gaskets. Worst case scenario, both fan motors are bad, the computer board is bad and you have to spend cash on them. Worst worst case is you take it home and find bad rust in the exchange tubes or a crack in the burn box somewhere.

If you go to look at it, take a powerful LED flash light and look all around the stove. Look inside and outside the exchange tubes. Make sure they look good. Look inside the burn box and look at the welds to see if they have cracks or too much rust. From the pictures it doesn't look too bad but the burn pot looks worn, which is what you would expect for a stove that age.

Thanks for all that info. My budget is $1500-2000 so I’m torn between going for a more expensive model used or something like the Comfortbilt hp50s brand new. Any advice on that? I haven’t seen it in person yet so I’ll definitely look out for the things you mentioned if I decide to go look at this one.

 

[vinny11950]

I haven't shopped for a new stove in years, so I am not very well versed on what is the best to buy now. I think Harman is up there in reliability and quality. I like Enviro stoves, mine has been a work horse. I think Englander is good too from what I read on here.

But if you are buying used, you have to compare it with other used stoves prices and quality. I would also price a new stove of comparable heating capacity, just to give you an idea of price. New means warranty and a few years without having to replace parts. Generally, used pellet stoves are easier to buy in the summer when people are trying to get rid of them for some life change reason. But now with all the other heating fuels prices going up, people may start looking at pellet stoves as a good alternative.

 

[kappel15]

That is a high price for an 08 stove. Pot looks a little nasty. BIggest concerns is if all the upgrades have been done thru the years. Check and see what revision control board it has. 456 or newer is needed. And if it has the upgraded pot, And Quad quit making this stove a couple of years ago, so in 8 or less years, parts will be almost impossible to find. kap

 

[eric_s]

That is a high price for an 08 stove. Pot looks a little nasty. BIggest concerns is if all the upgrades have been done thru the years. Check and see what revision control board it has. 456 or newer is needed. And if it has the upgraded pot, And Quad quit making this stove a couple of years ago, so in 8 or less years, parts will be almost impossible to find. kap

I have this stove. It has been a good stove over the years, but agree on price. I paid less than $3k brand new for it back in '08/09. Spare parts aren't cheap and I'm seeing parts slowly start to wear. Likely better to go new(er).

KAP - I've done no upgrades on my stove. Is there a list or resource that says what has changed and what it improves?

 

[kappel15]

Sorry, no there isn't. They put this stove on the market too soon, and had issues that they paid to fix and replace parts. Two key parts were the control board with upgrades and the pot. The pot was mostly for burning corn, improving ignition. The control board addressed issues with numerous things, but if your stove has ran fine without upgrades, it is fine. kap

 

[SidecarFlip]

2 grand for that is a 'pie in the sky' asking price. it's worth maybe a grand maximum and you'll have a ton of sweat equity getting it right. if it was me, I'd offer 800 cash and see what happens. if not, look elsewhere.