Good treadmill for under 300$?

[lilbg]

Trying to get back into doing some cardio.. Can someone recommend a good treadmill for under 300$?  I know very little about them.  I would like one that does have some sort of shock absobrtion to take some impact off the Joints. 

[pumpster]

Forget it, good ones don't sell for $300, and won't hold up.

Try Craigslist.org & Ebay to find good models that are used-if they're working well they'll usually last for years and can be repaired when needed. Even good used ones cost more than $300 though.

Best ones: look at Consumer Reports at the public library, and epinions.com.

[Bluto]

$300 will you get you a good pair of running shoes, a pair of shorts, a tanktop and a water bottle. Armed with this it's time to find a place to run in the open. Good luck.

[Jr. Yates]

$300 will you get you a good pair of running shoes, a pair of shorts, a tanktop and a water bottle. Armed with this it's time to find a place to run in the open. Good luck.

its true! and the grass can be your shock absorber.

[lilbg]

Are you serious?  I ran for years on a piece of crap 80$ treadmill and have never had a single problem with it except it didnt belong to me.  I just figured for 300$ I could get something decent.. I wasnt looking for a gym qaulity treadmill thats 1000$+.

[lilbg]

$300 will you get you a good pair of running shoes, a pair of shorts, a tanktop and a water bottle. Armed with this it's time to find a place to run in the open. Good luck.

Kick ass.. but im not gonna be running in the rain!

[pumpster]

Depends where you live. If i'm in Seattle i don't want to be running outside in the rain for 5 straight weeks of rain that they just had!

Some just like the indoor convenience, especially if you have kids to watch.

[lilbg]

yeah.. getting rain here like a mofo.. rain and cold weather just gonna get me sick.. I ended up spending 790$ on a treadmill.  It was on sale 200$ off the reg price for 599.00 plus 130$ 3 year warranty which will get my belts lubed very year free.. plus tax.. I check out some of the cheaper 300$ ones and you guys are right.. there is a huge difference in the one I got vs the cheaper ones.  Its a ProForm and even has connections for me to hook up a computer to it for who knows what.  Thanks for setting me strait!

[pumpster]

Cool. The Warranty's essential, but keep in mind the warranty's only as good as the company that will honor it. Here are some reviews-even if not the same model, it should still apply:
http://www.epinions.com/search/?submitted_form=searchbar&search_string=ProForm&tax_name=&dyn_nav=0&dyn_nav_id=&search_vertical=all&searchbar_submit=Search

Disregard knuckleheadz equating runs in the rain with hardcore. Been there, done that, have run in all conditions including ice and snow and would prefer a treadmill.

Another advantage is that it should be easier on the joints.

[lilbg]

Thanks for the link.  I got it at Sears which gave me a chance to do 6 months 0% financing.  Its the Pro-Form XP 550s.  This is the first tread mill I have ran on that had some sort of shock absportion and I can tell you its a big difference.  Very happy with my choice.. hopefully its a solid piece of equipment.

[onlyme]

Go outside your door,when you hit the sidewalk, start walking.  Well under $300.  Use the money you save and buy some protein and a coffee at Starbucks

[knny187]

http://www.treadmilldoctor.com/

For under $300....go to www.craigslist.com www.ebay.com or your local newspaper.

Treadmill Doctor will tell you anything you want to know about them

[Cavalier22]

get a bike dude

[lilbg]

Thanks for the treadmill Dr Link.. this will probably come in handy. 

[Subaru66]

just to add to what everyone else said  lol you cant get a great one for under 300 but i work at sears selling fitness stuff and if u catch them on the right day they are getting rid of a floor model reg 900 for around 400 so its not a bad idea to look

[lilbg]

The one I got was new in the box from Sears but marked down 200$.. probably getting ready for the new models to take its place.  Some of the ones out on the floors were kinda jacked up.  They had some decent ones for about 400$ but anything under that was pretty much crap.  Whats sad is I dont even have a pair of running shoes..

[Agnostic007]

According to COnsumer Reports anything in the 300 dollar range is for walking only. FOr actual running or jogging they recommend spending at least in the $1,200 range