I was thinking about getting it from ebay or offerup so having it checked out first is not an option. I have seen them with controler and most everything that comes with it but no batteries or everything but crashed. Most common issues are broken arms or camera issues after crashing. Staying away from the ones with water crashes. Seen them go for under $300. Anyone ever have Dji Drone Service repair one with the above issues?If it's out of warranty, you could also send it to a third party repair center such as DJIDroneService.
It's like buying a used clunker. Depends on the price of the clunker and the cost to get it fixed, except you can't get a drone mechanic to check it out before buying.
Thanks for some good feedback. It confirms some of the things that could go wrong with the buy used and fix plan. I now have to decide how much to spend on a new drone. Mini 2 or Air 2 for my first drone?It’s a gamble, the cost plus the repair could end up more than that of a used but fully working one, depends if you get lucky.
Mini 2, unless you need 4K 60fps and want to register with the FAA. Get DJI Care on it, too, since it's your first drone, and you might crash it while learning, since it has no obstacle avoidance.