I was able to find a 10 year old Raleigh tandem for $200 locally on craigslist a couple of years ago. I think it sold for $600-700 brand new and is a cruiser style tandem. I spent about $300 turning it into a road-like tandem, including putting smaller tires and saddles on it, drop handlebars, and Shimano Sora shifters, which work great with the existing Shimano Deore drivetrain. The frame is a mix of cromoly and high-tensile steel, so it is very heavy, with the whole bike weighing about 48-49 pounds. It has an eccentric bottom bracket, but relatively cheap cranks. That pretty much characterizes the whole bike: reasonable quality here, barely better than department store quality there. After one season of use (maybe 500 miles) by my wife and 9 year old, who weigh less than 200 pounds combined, the bearings in the rear hub are pitted, so I'll need to replace the rear wheel. I don't regret getting the bike, because it filled a need for us at a good price, but we are now considering an upgrade.