Is buying a “used” subwoofer a bad idea?

Buy one that you can still get repaired!

I’ve had my Sunfire Signature repaired a couple times and it is in the shop (EBC Electronics) right now, even though I did have to send it across the country. They have a fixed repair fee ($255), regardless of the problem.

For an additional $25 I opted for a 1-year warrantee because I figured they would have a "harder look" at everything if they had to guarantee it for a year (normally 90 days) and they get $30 for the return shipping.  I paid $36 to ship it there with insurance.

I think it went dead because the speaker got unplugged from the amp and Sunfires hate this.  The amp sits in its own ventilated cabinet and the speaker has a block-off plate.  I did this after the second repair job.  Sunfires will literally shake their components to death from the internal cabinet vibration.

Had my Martin Logan sub for about a year now, it was used, no issues. Think anything you purchase used can be a leap of faith. Think the higher end you go, the more likely it was taken care of, or used responsibly. 

If you are the type that looses sleep at night over a warranty expiring, then stay away from used. Or if that used piece fails and you do not have the means to sort it out. Then just buy new, without any worries. 

For me, I'm on a budget, but I like nice things. A $3k sub is not in the budget, so I get a used one for a fraction of the price, I'm happy to have my new to me sub, I keep something out of landfill, also keep some money in my account. 

@ghdprentice  Talk about stereotyping... audiophiles don't smoke and are not grumpy? Only audiophiles are happy, hardly.

You get som grumpy guy that goes to garage sales or fences stolen goods, the jig is up in seconds. Likely you can hear him puffing on a cigarette.

I've bought several over the years/ All was good.

I feel a lot better about buying a used subwoofer.  I’m not looking for a thumper but rather to extend the bass of my full range floorstander and support the bass to midrange.  Thanks to all for your input.