Best treadmill in $1,500 price range (run, bigger, recommended, how much)
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I have a Precor and have no complaints. Mine is a 9.33, so it may be a model or two up, but it is a qua
Toy machine. You really want something quality, as you can definitely tell the difference between a it and a che one.
What is your recommendation for a best treadmill that's in $1,500 price range.
When I raised this question in another forum, lot of dealers responded, recommended the products that they sell. I couldn't get honest opinions. (I know in a public forum, this is too much to expect.)
I couldn't get replies from people who use treadmill for their fitness.
I believe this forum has lot of people who are into fitness, so hoping I would get some good recommendation.
Please tell me if the following treadmill is a good one:
NordicTrack Elite 3700 Treadmill $1,525 (including delivery/assembly, 3 year extended maintenance from Sears).
Spirit XT285 - $1,499 (needs regular maintenance), Delivery & Assembly - extra $200
Precor 211 - $1759 (no maintenance), Delivery & Assembly - extra $200
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I am a beginner, I weigh 170 lbs. I am planning to use the treadmill at least 5 times a week and most likely my wife would do the same. So, I am expecting around 30-40 miles a week.
Nordic Track, I don't recommend any new ICON (maker of NT) products. Older stuff, usually. New? No.
Spirit, decent enough, basically the same as Sole. Not a huge fan of Spirit though. I like Sole better.
Precor, good machine but overpriced for what it actually is and unnecessary for the average user imo. Precor makes out of warranty ownership needlessly difficult for reasons I won't get into here. Oh, and "maintenance free"? LOL. ALL treadmills need periodic maintenance. Anything with moving parts and a walk belt will need maintenance. Don't fall for that line, please. BMW has a "maintenance free" automatic transmission. What makes it maintenance free is the fact that you can't change the fluid and you're expected to replace the trans (or better yet, the entire car with a shiny new BMW) when the "lifetime" fluid wears out at 120k miles. All treadmills need that walk belt lubed once the factory application wears off, and all treadmills need the walk belt tweaked and adjusted periodically. Precors "maintenance free" BS should give everyone some insight on their philosophy regarding how long they think you should own the unit before buying another one or at the very least buying one of their very expensive controllers/walk belts/decks/drive motors.
Check out Lifespan. They have a model that I believe retails for about 1k (there are four models in the line I am thinking of, the base model is the best deal). Seems like a pretty robust little unit for the price. I have been impressed with it so far in my dealings with them.
Lastly, get the "in room delivery", but skip the offered assembly and hire a local fitness equipment repair service to do your assembly. They will do a much better job, and know what they are doing. Often these companies have the delivery driver do the assembly, and typically he has little to no experience actually assembling fitness equipment. Call a real tech and get it done right. It's a big investment and a poor assembly out of the box can ruin the machine over time.
I bought a used one of craigslist. Late winter early Spring is usually the best time when people give up on their new years resolution. About 10 years ago I got an Endurance 8k/Steelflex xt3600 for $400 and all it has needed was some belt adjustment and a new motor belt for $12.
A lot of the same equipment is being sold under varying brand names. So do your research on whatever you settle on.
That said, I have had various low and mid brand treadmills, and always find the electronics package dies long before the machine wears out mechanically. Typically I get 5-7 years out of a machine, running 4-6 miles a day during winter months, and occasional use the rest of the year (when I cannot get out doors).
I also find the difference between the $750 and $1500 treadmill tends to be more bells and whistles, and very little in improved mechanicals to justify the price jump. So be sure your getting what you want and will use at that price, or you may be able to get more than enough machine mechanically for a little less by surrending some bells and whistles.
Presently I do have a NordicTrac, spent $500 on it. Decent spec hardware, enough for me to run on. Very basic electronics package, which is fine because I basically do steady speed incline running. It is doing fine for me without issues. It isn't the best machine out there (my prior one was three times the price) but does everything I did with the last one.
I decided to cancel my Nordic Track order and go with the AFG 3.1 AT treadmill just because NT has the worst customer service I've ever experienced. I haven't even received the treadmill yet.
They have taken me through some issue to cancel my order and get my money back.
I can imagine the pain of having to call tech support.
I ordered the the AFG 3.1 through Sears. Delivery set for Saturday.
I bought my treadmills and exercise bikes used on Craigslist. If you're willing to go that route, you can save a bundle, especially on treadmills and other higher end exercise equipment, and the cost savings is worth not having a warranty, IMO. So many people buy a treadmill brand new, think they'll use it, and it ends up becoming a dusty overpriced coat hanger instead So the last time I bought a treadmill, I scoped out Craigslist again. Most of the treadmills were the cheap ones from Academy/Walmart that people were trying to sell for near/at retail price. I was looking for one $300 or less. I compared the Craigslist treadmills with the retail value of those same model new. I found a True treadmill for $250. It was an older treadmill that had seen little use. Its original price was $2750 when it was produced several years ago, and it was a 250 lb solid steel monstrosity that had everything I needed, and more.
At $250, it was a huge bargain. I used it for 2 years and sold it on Craigslist again for $250. It still worked fine, and I had used it a lot, and not just as a coat hanger haha. It never gave me a lick of trouble. The only reason I sold it was I moved to a smaller home, the treadmill didn't fold up (the only thing I disliked about it), and I didn't have enough room for it anymore.
I have cancelled my NordicTrack order too. Trying to finalize one in my budget.
LifeSpan for $1K is very tempting. I will find out the local dealer and try it out.
Thanks for all your suggestions.
I wouldnt take a brand new Nordic Track if someone offered it to me free of charge. Just save up for a Precor/LifeFitness model and you wont have to worry about quality.
For $1500 you could get a 5-6 year gymn membership and get to use all the machines and never have to worry about the machine breaking.
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So the last time I bought a treadmill, I scoped out Craigslist again. Most of the treadmills were the cheap ones from Academy/Walmart that people were trying to sell for near/at retail price. I was looking for one $300 or less. I compared the Craigslist treadmills with the retail value of those same model new. I found a True treadmill for $250. It was an older treadmill that had seen little use. Its original price was $2750 when it was produced several years ago, and it was a 250 lb solid steel monstrosity that had everything I needed, and more. 
