buy used or new?

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It means you paid for lifetime service too late (by almost 2 years) to qualify for the loophole that would let you transfer that subscription to another TiVo for free.

 

Which is significant how?

Since S1 TiVos from 1999 are still supported, I'm hard pressed to get excited over this. Of course, they could decide to terminate support for the S3 platform tomorrow. I'll worry about it when it happens. In the mean time I would submit that a $100 - $150 investment in the platform at this time would more than likely not be wasted.

Vapor. So far, I've only seen one or two new or proposed features that are remotely interesting. The fact a feature is avaialble impresses me not at all if it is a feature I don't find of use. When offset by the fact the platform would not be able to perform its primary duty due to restrictions set by my CATV company, the decision not to buy is not difficult.

Not true. In my household, a Premier or Elite would be litle more than very expensive doorstops. They do only a small, albeit admittedly significant, fraction of the things I demand from my TiVos.

 

That requires transferring the content to another device, unless you are considering something like a SlingBox solution.

 

Or an IP STP - that admittedly we do not know a lot about yet. But I do think it is resonable to consider these future devices when making a purchasing decision.

 

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If S1 TiVos were really supported then they would have support for converter boxes and their software would still being updated, which it isn't. Not to say that they aren't worth something. People are still buying them on eBay.

Course people are buying french toast on ebay that has a purported picture of Jesus on it too.

 

Well, the OP has made his choice - so any argument now is just academic. :-D

Having said that... when faced with a similar choice a few months ago, I bought a used Tivo HD XL for $140 and slipped it into my $6.95/month plan. My LG television already has all the useful extras the Premiere offered, so there wasn't really much added value for me if I went that way.

If you're buying the Tivo mainly to be a DVR, I don't think the Premiere offers a whole lot more than the Series 3 boxes.

 

If I were the OP, I would return it. Let's look at some quick math:

$149.99 (New Premiere) + ($179.88) = $328.88 for 1 Year

$50 (Used Premiere) + Lifetime ($399) = $449 (As long as keep the box going)

Yes, the additional upfront difference is $120 or so, but as soon as you complete the second year of PLS, you are going to start saving money.

If/When hard drives prices go down, get a 1TB or 2TB hard drive for under $75 in a year or so time.

 

TiVo can always replace a lifetimed DVR with a referb for a fee in worst case scenario. Besides, the tutorials online can help most people replace bad hard drives... My vote; get a gently used TiVo (no older than series 3 HD).