buying a used Tivo w/lifeime

[cork]

Alright, I'm considering buying a used Tivo unit specifically for the lifetime subscription that is available on a used one. I know nothing about Tivo or DVR for that matter, here are some questions.
First, has anyone done this and does Tivo help or hinder the changeover process?
Any model to look for or avoid? The prices are wide in range which is confusing.
Will the 2009 thing with programming signals going to digital make a difference on a model?
What features should I look for or avoid? Any mistakes I should try and avoid? Does the age of the unit make a difference? If I buy a used one now, can I upgrade to a model that is up to date later and keep the lifetime subscription?
Thanks for you time!
Cork

[greg_burns]

What model are you thinking about getting? An S2: 240, 540 (Nightlight model), 649 (DualTuner). Or an S3/TivoHD?

What is your content provider? Cable, satellite, or OTA? Do you care about HD?

[greg_burns]

First, has anyone done this and does Tivo help or hinder the changeover process?

Lots have. Tivo supports changing ownership and won't give you a hard time.

Any model to look for or avoid? The prices are wide in range which is confusing.
Will the 2009 thing with programming signals going to digital make a difference on a model?
What features should I look for or avoid? Any mistakes I should try and avoid? Does the age of the unit make a difference?

The S2 models 240s and 540s have the Over-The-Air NTSC tuner that will not be able to able receive a signal next year. The DTs cannot do OTA at all.

The S3/TivoHD have both NTSC and ATSC OTA tuners. After the cutoff they will still be able to tune OTA digital channels with their ATSC tuners.

All the S2s will continue to function just find with cable or satellite after the cutoff. But the Dual Tuner model (649 DT) may become a single tuner model only if you cable system goes all digital. If you have satellite your DT can only use one tuner regardless.

Only the S3 models can do HD but require cablecard. S3 is the older, more expensive model. TivoHD is the newer, cheaper model. Both are in the S3 family, but are referred to as S3 or TivoHD respectively.

If I buy a used one now, can I upgrade to a model that is up to date later and keep the lifetime subscription?

No.

[classicsat]

To add:
The HD models won't do satellite or IPTV, you need a Series 1/2 for that.

Sometimes TiVo does offer Lifetime transfer deals to new models ( of late, the Product Lifetime subscription had to be 4+ years old at the launch of the offer.).

You can almost always have TiVo "service" the DVR for a $150 or so fee. That really invoves them (or the manufacturer) sending you a replacement unit, and TiVo transferring the service over to it.

[cork]

I have Time Warner cable. HD is not really an issue now. The S2 model seems to be what is out there that I've found which is probably what I'll end up with unless you guys say "stay away". It want to get stuck with a unit that quits working next year or one that has poor video quality

[RonDawg]

The #1 failure point for a TiVo is the hard drive. Because these things NEVER stop spinning, they will fail sooner than the same hard drive installed in your computer.

If the TiVo is more than a couple of years old, ask the seller how recent the hard drive is. If it's a very large capacity (over 160GB) and not a Series 3/THD model, the hard drive is likely a replacement. If the hard drive is over 5 years old, while not a reason to reject it (hard drive replacements are easy and relatively inexpensive), do expect to replace it in the foreseeable future. A TiVo that old with its original hard drive won't have a lot of capacity anyway.

A very distant #2 failure point for a TiVo is the power supply, another relatively easy and cheap item to fix.

Your biggest worry about buying a used TiVo is making sure the seller won't rip you off. Especially with the S3 and THD models, a few unscrupulous sellers have gotten Lifetime subscriptions for these, sold them, and then cancelled the subscriptions after the buyer has paid for the TiVo but within the 30 day cancellation window.

For the older models, especially ones purchased before Oct 2003, what you should watch out for is a seller who is selling his Series 1 or Series 2 TiVo with Lifetime but fails to tell you that he's already transferred it to a TiVoHD, so the Lifetime is only good for a year. October 1, 2003, is the cutoff date for the latest Lifetime transfer offer.

[WhiskeyTango]

Weaknees also sells the Humax Tivo's with the built in DVD burner. They are refurbished and you can get one pretty cheap and they are still eligible for the Lifetime sub.