So, now that you’ve seen that warning, you might ask why you should consider getting a used treadmill. Well, that’s a fair question. Even though there are some risks involved with buying used, that doesn’t mean that all of the used treadmills on the market are going to be lemons. That’s just the same as when you’re buying a used car; sure, there are some that aren’t great right off the bat, but that’s exactly why you get a pre-purchase inspection done. Such is the same when you’re buying any type of safety sensitive exercise equipment like a treadmill. So, what you really need to do before making your purchase is bring out someone who’s specifically authorized and qualified to work on treadmills. You can find these people online by doing a Google search or by checking out the yellow pages. Have them preform a pre-purchase inspection on the treadmill you’re interested in buying before you take it home. It won’t cost you much, and it’ll give you a significant amount of peace of mind before you step onto the belt the first time. Seriously, don’t skip this step even if it may cost you an extra hundred dollars. The cost is absolutely worth it.

The next thing you need to do before purchasing used cheap treadmills is to go through the maintenance records. Treadmills will have maintenance inspection intervals just like cars do, with servicing required at specific points. Those service intervals are there to ensure the treadmill is in proper working order at all times. Before you buy your treadmill, ensure that the previous owner has kept up with all of that required maintenance. Don’t take their word for it, either. If they don’t have the documents (or they say they lost them), walk away. No seriously, walk away. Any good owner worth dealing with for a cheap used treadmill will have these documents handy. You don’t need to do business with unscrupulous maintenance practices.

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The first ProForm treadmill I want to talk about is the venerable ProForm Power 690. This is a little bit different from the ProForm 590T we talked about previously; this is a considerable step up from the 590T, but the price tag is nothing compared to some of the commercial treadmills that you can get for $2,000-$3,000 even on the used market. This goes for about $1300 new, which is an absolute steal for what you get. Let’s look at some of the features:

The ProForm Power 690 comes with a 2.75 CHP motor, which is a little bit better and more powerful than the 2.25 CHP motor that comes in the 590T. This will really let you open yourself up and challenge your old speed and endurance records; this motor is almost as powerful as some of the more professional treadmills you’ll see on the market. What’s even cooler is the iFIT Live interface. You might remember from our last post (titled “Which treadmills can you get for cheap?”) that the iFIT is a nifty little interface that has pre-programmed workouts and the voice of a personal trainer pushing you through your workouts. Well, this goes just a little bit further. Not only does it have the same functionality as the normal iFIT treadmills, but with a little bit of a twist.

It has wireless internet connectivity. Yes, you heard that right. What this does is it’ll download a database of some of the most popular running trails and tracks in the world, and will simulate them during your workout. Want to run the New York marathon? You got it; just download that iFIT scenario and there you have it. If you have facebook it’ll even let you challenge your friends. Pretty neat, huh?

It’s not all about neat toys. The ProForm Power 690 works. It’ll let you run up to 12 mph, which is plenty fast for just about anyone to get a great workout. And to keep track of your heart rate, it even has a built in pulse monitor. To make things easy for you, it’ll even fold up and stow away in your closet without any hangups. Out of all the cheap treadmills for sale, this is probably one of the best.

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1. Which treadmills can you get for cheap?

The first thing I want to touch on is the idea that you should possibly get a used treadmill. You’ll need to verify that all the maintenance records have been kept up to date, and that it’s gone through it’s necessary servicing. This is much like buying a used car; the safety aspects of treadmills require that each and every part has been inspected and replaced on schedule. Buying something of dubious quality and origins will only lead to bad things. Trust me, you don’t want to go there.

So, I’d say that if you want to go for a great cheap treadmill, you should go for the ProForm 590T. This is a brand new arrival to the treadmill scene, and offers some absolutely great features in personal gym equipment. It’s powered by a very powerful 2.25 CHP Mach Z motor, which puts it pretty far up in its class for the price. What’s really neat about the 590T is that it has iFIT workout card technology. This is a relatively new type of technology that will help guide you through a series of workouts by voice prompt, and will automatically change incline and speed as your workout progresses.

That voice prompt is very neat: It’ll talk you through your workout as you go along, letting you know what to expect and how to actually do the regimen that you’ve selected. These iFIT workouts are actually designed by certified personal trainers, making it a great “second place” to actually going out and hiring a personal trainer for yourself. While we always recommend hiring personal trainers if you can, the iFIT system in the ProForm 590T is great if you just can’t afford it.

Speaking of affordable, you can get this great treadmill for cheap. It starts at $599 and is available for 2010. Pretty sweet!

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1. Cheap treadmills for sale: The ProForm series
2. How to shop for a cheap used treadmill
3. Where to buy cheap treadmills

Safety is going to be paramount when you’re using your treadmill, and for obvious reasons. What you have is a belt that’s moving at a good rate of speed, and you’re running on it. The stresses and strains put on the mechanisms are going to be considerable. Every foot step you make is going to make a pretty good “thud” against the machine, and if the quality of the treadmill isn’t there, you’re going to break something relatively quickly. Hopefully you won’t get hurt in the process. That’s why even if you have to spend some more money than you might want to on a treadmill, it’s probably still a good investment to go for one that’s been well reviewed. Check out the usual review sites (I like epinions and Amazon) for reviews on where to find a good cheap treadmill that will last you for years of use. Buying something that’s on sale for a couple hundred bucks is not going to do any good when it breaks a year down the line and you have to buy a new one. I think we can all agree on that point.

Really, you need to stick to good retailers when you buy any type of exercise equipment. Trusted retailers. Retailers that you know that are going to offer product support and a strong warranty. Better yet, you want to know that the people selling you the treadmill know that it’s a good product from the start. You should go into the stores and actually talk to people who have used it and sold it for a long time. That’s how you know that you’ll get a safe cheap treadmills. Anything else is going to be risking it.

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So, that said, let’s jump right into this. Of course the reason you’re here is because you’re looking for cheap treadmills. There are plenty of places to find these low-cost workout machines, and we’ll tell you where to start looking. First, a couple places to avoid if you’re really in the market:

You really want to stay away from the Wal-Mart and K-Mart type stores. Yes, they sell treadmills, but they’re not going to have nearly the selection that you’ll want to look through to make an informed decision. Treadmills are very expensive for the most part, so you want to make sure your money goes to the one that you really want. Even more important is the fact that the treadmill you buy needs to have specific features that are specific to your workouts. Do you just run? Do you use the incline features? Do you simply do a walking regimen? All of these are going to need to be addressed before you go out and buy it. Another reason to avoid Wal-Mart is that they typically sell cheap stuff that isn’t of very good quality. While that may or may not include treadmills, you really just don’t want to run that risk. Go with a reputable source of exercise equipment. You’ll be happier you did.

My personal suggestion is to try a store like Sports Authority. These types of stores are specifically tailored to dealing with sports and exercise equipment, and tend to have a good selection of cheap treadmills. Better yet, their staff is generally more knowledgeable when it comes to selecting the equipment you need.

The big “we sell everything” stores like Wal-Mart may offer good prices, but their associates aren’t going to have a solid background in selling or using the equipment you want to buy. It’s best to stick with trusted stores.

You could also go online and find some really good treadmill deals. Amazon generally has fantastic deals, which you can find under the “Shopping” links below this post. Check them out. They even have great deals on shipping; better than even a lot of the stores near your home.

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