Treadmill owners need your help

You may want to look at used. 

Check out this site www.treadmilldoctor.com  and read the reviews for treadmills you find in your price range.

As for features, do you currently use a tready at a gym? Have you in the past? Think about what you will actually use, and what is just fluff.

I love lots and lots of options. And super easy use. Especially to switch speeds/inclines (e.g. run/walk). My BFF's parents let me use theirs, and it frustrates me because I spend a good 15 seconds of my 60 second walk getting the speed down from running speed, then another 15 seconds getting it back up to running speed. I don't complain, though, as it is free! If I ever bought a tready, it would probably end up being a $6K jobber. Which is why I don't have one.

I think one thing to consider might be how quickly you can change speeds. 

When I was training to run, I did a lot of intervals.  Luckily, my treadmill has a slidebar for changing speed and I could just push that slide bar up or down and change my speed quickly.  If you have to stand there and hold a button while it slowly changes pace, it can disrupt your workout if you do any type of intervals.

If you're serious about continued consistent use, I'd invest wisely.  I spent probably what was a "fortune" I'm sure in 1996 for a Precor -- now a dinosaur model -- but ya know what, that thing (maintained on a regular to irregular basis) has been running strong ever since.  And I use it faithfully in the winter -- and sometimes in the summer for intervals when I don't have it in me to keep watching my Garmin for pace/time.

I got mine from a neighbor who has tried every diet pill on the market.  She spend $2k on this thing 2 years ago and just wanted it out of her garage.  I offered $300 and she jumped on the deal.  She was estatic!  That was a lot of money she could put toward the next batch of useless diet pills that help her shed water weight and poop a lot. 

I bought a cheap one last year this time. I looked at and tested out the ones in the thousands and read tons of reviews. It came down to the fact that the only treadmill I was used to was at my gym and retails for $8000+ 

Just not an option.

I also knew I wouldn't use it much, but only when dh travels out of town (can't leave kids home alone). I spent $800 at Costco. It got the best reviews at the time for under $1000. I had to load it in my minivan and put it together myself.

It's fine. Does the job. It doesn't suck as bad as missing a run.

But the most I ever do is 4, 5 miles on it or my kids come find me and start to bother me. I don't think it can go faster than 12 miles per hour (not an issue for me). I think if you plan to run longer and faster, you'd definitely want a bigger motor and more cushioning for the deck.

Edited by chasing3 2009-07-31 10:15 AM

I'm in the same boat. Mine died well over a year ago, I found a guy who repairs them he came and looked at it, said it needed a part and then he fell off the face of the earth. I've been unable to find someone to repair it since then. Looks like it's Craigslist for me.

Unless there's a Treadmill manufacturer out there looking to sponsor me.