My first acoustic piano :D!!

[xjerbearx]

So today I checked out a local piano shop and saw a beautiful upright piano in mint condition for $3250, though I never heard of a "Miki" piano before... I asked the lady who worked in the shop about the Piano and she told me that the Piano was made in Japan (sold there only, but was ordered by previous owner...) and Miki is under Yamaha, she also told me to my surprise that the piano is 17 years old (it looked so new x.x!) and had one owner who traded it in for a grand piano from the same shop. The piano has wooden keys and a Yamaha action system.
Oh she also kindly dropped the price to $2800.

The piano plays beautifully and I like the feel and responsiveness, but I am inexperienced and anything would sound and feel beautiful compared to my 13 year old weightless Yamaha keyboard, that I could probably sell for $100 if I'm lucky x.x...
My budget was $3000 so I think it suits it well, but I would love to hear what you think about this Piano or if any other uprights can beat this for the price.

Thanks~!

[quantum]

Never heard of the name before.  Nonetheless, as will all second hand pianos have an independent piano technician - someone you hire, not someone the store recommends - check out the piano and give you a full report on its condition plus any repairs that need to be made.

[xjerbearx]

Uh whats the average cost of hiring a technician to check out a piano? And do I have to hire one in the same city as the shop, or can I get one in my city which is like an hour away from the shop x.x"?
Or.. Is an examination and estimate free?

[quantum]

It can be a local tech.  Main thing is that the tech has no affiliation with the store.  

There will probably be a fee for the examination.  This fee is really an investment, at minimal cost.  It will be a lot more costly to later find out that the piano you purchased has some major problems that may cost hundreds or thousands to fix, or that you paid much more than the piano is worth for its condition.  


On piano selection:
Play several pianos in your budget range.  Get a range on what sort of pianos that budget can buy. 

Also go find your ideal piano, something you probably can't afford but which you fall in love with.  Make note of its properties, and try to find those same properties in the range of pianos in your budget.