Purchasing a Treadmill - Advice Please

Treadmills run (see what I did there?    a very wide range of price and quality.  You can buy one for light home use for less than $1,000 up to a commercial one for gyms that cost more than $5,000, and everything in between.  Generally speaking, you'll get what you pay for.  If you're going to run 500-1000 miles a year on it, a cheap one won't survive more than a few years, and it'll likely need several adjustments in that period.  A $5,000 one is going to be overkill for even the most hardcore of home users.

I have a Bodyguard treadmill in my studio that has worked well for about 3 dozen personal training clients every week for nearly 2 years with only one adjustment.  It was in the $3,000 range.  They're viewed as expensive for a home treadmill, but they also have a reputation for being bombproof.  They don't have a lot of bells and whistles, but IMO, that's a good thing, because it's fewer things to break on it, and most people run them on manual anyway.  If you come across a used one with low hours for $1,000-$1,500, snatch it up before it's gone.

The most common not-so-expensive but super solid recommendation is the Sole F80. It's definitely one of the most widely owned and used TMs out there.

I have one. It's outstanding. It'll be good enough for you even if you're a professional runner and it's highly unlikely you'll outlast it.

The customer service is outstanding as well. I actually cracked my deck (very slightly) in 5 years and they sent me a new one right away, no questions asked. 

I bought one in January, Fuel brand which I think may be exclusive to Dicks Sporting Goods. It was on sale for $600, currently listed online for $999. It has better reviews online than the sole mentioned above. Admittedly I don't use it super often, it's my back up for extreme weather days. But ive been really pleased with it so far. If you can wait till after Christmas you might find better prices.

Wow.  Those are some big dogs!  Post pics.  

This is really good advice that I had forgotten from my own experience.   I bought my treadmill from Sole and they had one subcontractor deliver, and a second bring it inside.   The first swore up and down that he was told to deliver it to the garage, even though my receipt said "inside front door". Then second swore up and down he didn't deliver downstairs, even though that was specifically stated on my order as well.   My advice, as an extension of the delivery options, is to have these printed off and be prepared to stick up for yourself.  In my case it was December (in Minnesota) and no way in hell would I accept a garage delivery!  It all worked out and it was TOTALLY worth the extra money.  

Also read reviews - you don't have to pay a ton more to get something run worthy. I bought mine about three years ago and was worried about quality but it seemed with certain HP and a few other features that over a certain point there's only marginal differences. I ultimately went with one almost $1000 less than my initial shopping because the reviews had people who logged what seemed some real miles on it and could vouch for the durability. 

Something to think about is sale periods. Here, and i know because my husband works for a major retailer that sells fitness equipment, the best sales are at New Years. You wouldn't think so but keep an eye and don't buy regular price. 

Also X2 on the delivery. We got it delivered to the house but it was still SUPER heavy even to move the pieces and put it together!