Electric Bikes - Tidalforce iO questions

My dad is looking at a Tidalforce iO and is very interested in it. He's wondering how much one is worth, and are they any good? I've done a little research, but I'm hoping someone can give me real world experiences with it. Thanks!

Bought my Tidalforce 750 in 2003 for $2300. Smooth, powerful (for an electric bike) trouble free. The original front hub batteries would take me about 12 mile at full throttle, very little pedaling. They lasted about 5,000 miles, pulling a trailer quite a bit, before they would only pull 2 miles, then I put a 36V-13amp F-cell NiMH battery pack on the back, built custom carrier incorporated with tow bar.Those batteries have lasted about 2 years in almost daily service, but are starting to get a little weaker, down to average 6 miles till charge.

The really nice thing about them is the motor. Most hub motors are quite noisy, and feel like an old set of gears turning.Tidalforce motors are absolutely silent, no buzzing, no hum, no ratcheting feel, like stepper motors do.

The bike and I are heavier than most, I've had 5 or 6 flats over the last 4 years.

If I could get another for less than a $1000, I would.

My dad just bought the M-750 for $800. It uses a Montague folding frame and has the same motor and battery as the iO. He also found a repair facility for Tidalforces. I'm curious how good the rest of the components are. Do they use threaded or threadless headsets and forks? Derailuer quality?

The Tidalforce iO looks like a lower end version of the M-750. I would think it uses the same brushless dc motor and batteries, just less powerful. Here are some specs I found:

http://www.electrikmotion.com/IO%20Tidal%20Force.htm

iO:
Suspension - Sun Tour 100mm Front shock absorbers
Wheels - Wheels: 26" pneumatic tires with thorn-resistant tubes
Gears -Shimano Deore Derailleur, 8-speed, with Grip-Shift Shifter

M-750:
Suspension: Front shocks - SunTour
Tires: 26" pneumatic - standard size
Gears: 21speed derailleur - Shimano

Looks pretty similar. I don't think you'll get the turbo or the folding frame with the iO, but everything else looks pretty solid.

I bought an M-750 used for $1200CDN a month ago and I love it. Riding it to work every day and back only drains 2 of the 5 bars. I've taken it 20km in a day, and still have power left. It is heavy, but its very fast, and the motor is completely silent. I love the fact that you can go right to the motor from a complete stop (good torque), rather than waiting for an assist kick in.

UnsafeAlpine: I would be interested in the repair center you found, as I'm concerned about getting replacement batteries later on. Right now it's only had 600km put it, so I'm sure it'll be good for a while.

I own TF step-through, obviosly it is same mottor/controller and batt on all TFs.
My has 13 000km and very few problems except batt lasted 3 years.
I built LiFePo batt using BMI/Lifebatt cells.
Few bike3s can match smootheness. cog-free, TF riding
mc