How cheap?
Depending on how cheap you want, there are a few options. My husband and I are in the process of buying a PaceMaster Pro Plus II treadmill, after much shopping around and research. Before I give you my thoughts for where to get one, here's a few things we learned while researching.
If you're running, and you know this isn't going to be a passing interest, you probably want to get one that retails in the range of at least $1200 - $2000 ( If you can find it used, obviously it will be less than that ), so you can get a good, sturdy machine that will last you for the kind of usage you're giving it, and will have a decent amount of shock absorption.
You probably want a minumum motor of 2.0 horsepower, again so that it will stand up to the kind of usage it will get from running.
Read reviews about any specific models you're thinking of getting. Treadmilldoctor.com has brief reviews, but they cover just about every treadmill out there. You can also do a search for treadmill reviews. One of the women's magazines ( Good Housekeeping, I htink ) did an article that reviewed some treadmills and picked out Best Buys, depending on what you were going for. That should come up on a search for treadmill reviews also.
Decide what features are must-haves for you before you talk to a salesman in any store.
My MIL needed a machine that had a starting speed of 0.1 MPH because of my FIL's heart condition. My husband really wanted the feature where you can program in your target heart rate and the treadmill will adjust the speed and incline automatically to keep you there. Therefore, they couldn't try to pressure us into getting a treadmill that they have on hand ( and possibly get a higher commission on ) that didn't have the "must have" feature(s). As it is, we have to wait for the one we want to come in, since it was backordered. But that was much better than risking giving in to high pressure sales tactics,and then regretting it later.
If you end up buying online, make sure that the warrantee will still be honored. Some manafacturers, like PaceMaster, protect their local distributors by automatically invalidating the warantee if it is shipped more than 100 miles from the sales location. Others, like Smooth, don't do that.
Okay, on to where to find them at a reasonable price:
The 1st idea is that you can check into used sporting goods stores like Play It Again Sports. Their inventory changes quite a bit, so you may want to call once a week or so and see if they have any of the models that you're looking for.
Once you know what brands and models you're looking for, looking in the paper can be a good way to find what you want for a better price. Plenty of people are looking to get rid of the machines they buy and never use. You might also want to take out a "wanted" ad. Someone may have one they never thought to advertise, but would like to get rid of.
Look at prices online, and then find out if any of your local retailers price match. My big sports superstore was willing to price match with the internet, as long as we also included the shipping, which sometimes made a difference and sometimes didn't. The smaller ones mostly wouldn't. If a store carries the BRAND you want, but not the model, ask if they can order it for you. The answer is usally yes, if they are already carrying the brand.
The 2 internet sources I can remember off the top of my head were treadmillbynet.com and treadmilloutlet.com. Treadmill by net has prices listed on their website, and then you call their 800 number to get the "real" price ( always lower than what is on the website ). My MIL ordered from them, and she was very happy with their prices and their service.
This is a very long answer to a short question, but I hope it helped!
Erin
