how much is a fair price for used 10 years old yamaha c3 or kawai rx-3 ?

[prelude888]

I am trying to buy a yamaha c3 or kawai rx-3 for my kids. The boy is 9 years old and the girl is 6 years old.  My son has been studying piano for 4 years and my daughter just started last fall. Would someone please give me an idea of the price range if piano is claimed to be in MINT condition, around 10 years old. I have been searching through the internet online store and local dealers. Would somebody give me some suggestions. Thanks a lot!



 

[bananafish]

for Yamaha C3, I suppose it should be between 12000~16000, maybe more like 13000~14500. I am no expert in this area, so that'd be my guess, and I'm assuming "MINT condition" means, eh, more than good, less than excellent. If you search the forum, you'll find a lot of f&qs on Yamaha C3. For example, tw0k1ngs (a member in the forum) wrote that she bought a used 1984 C3 (from the photos she posted, it was in excellent condition. Quite an envy, actually), for a lucky bargain price of 10000 dollars. So, you never know what kind of deal you can get. You'll just have to shop around for the best price, take your time, but it'll be worth it.

As to Kawai rx-3. I like the C3 touch better (Rx series are a little too heavy in my opinion). I don't know the price range, though, I suppose it should be around the same notch as C3.

[prelude888]

Thank you so much, bananafish! I will keep looking. I called local store yesterday, the dealer quoted me $27,950 for a new Yamaha C3. He said he got only one left with this price and the current price is $29,950 since Yamaha just raised price in Apr. 1st, 2006. Another Kawai dealer gave a $25,000 for RX-3.  Looks like I can only afford a used one. It is kind of tricky to buy online without physically see the piano first. I have to put a lot of trust for this 10~15K investment. ;-) Have any one had a very pleasant experience with the on-line piano store? Please share the weblike. Thanks!

I will be patient.

 
 

[shoenberg3]

Go for smaller dealerships.

I got my 12-year old Yamaha C5 for no more than 14K USD.  Rates were higher in other places.


It was in pristine condition, since it was owned by a singer, which means the piano was used regularly but never beaten to death (the ideal condition)


I am perfectly happy with the piano.

Another thing about buying over the net is that no matter what you do, you must try it out yourself.