Want to buy Tivo series 2 off eBay, don't want to bet burned. Any advice?

Question

I'm looking to buy a Tivo series 2 with dual tuners off eBay but don't want to get burned. I have el cheapo cable (20 channels) so I don't need anything elaborate. I'm just looking to find the best deal. Has anyone had problems with the dual tuners? I'm considering getting a box with a lifetime subscription. I also heard that sometimes you can get a box for free after rebates. Does anyone know about any of these? Also, has anyone had problems with the dual tuners? Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

Looks like you've got a few questions here, so I'll try to cover all bases.

As far as buying off eBay, the best thing you can do is check the sellers feedback score and percentage.  A high score and percentage (I'd say over 99% positive) is a good indication you won't be burned.  You can find a good selection of TiVo DVRs available on eBay at http://www.dvrspot.com , as well as product information.

I own a Series 2 TiVo and have never had a problem with the dual tuners.  The Series 2 will record two basic cable channels at once - if you had digital cable channels, you could not record two of those at once, but that doesn't sound like an issue for your setup.

As for the free boxes, my understanding, nothing official, is that TiVo is going away from the heavy rebates that they had last year.  They just reported stronger-than-expected quarterly financial results and one reason they cited for the improvement was less rebate offers.  So, I don't think you'll find anything for free.

TiVo is definitely worth the money - we've had them in the house since the beginning and the generic boxes just don't compare.