Came across an
interesting KHS Flite 500 on craigslist- asking price $500. I met up with the seller and had a look at it. It's in great condition overall but ultimately I declined at the first sight because the shifter for the rear gears wasn't working. He's since said he got it working- that it was gunk in the shifter- but having looked at it I'm thinking the bike may be quite a bit older than I thought at first and might not be the deal I was hoping for at $500. The owner says he got it at auction and has no idea what year it is.
It's definitely got an aftermarket carbon fork but the frame says Chromo on it and you can feel it in the weight. The orange paint job it looks like a 2000 model. The blue book value for the condition, without the upgrades, is closer to $250.
I don't mind offering more for the upgraded parts, but I work 60 hours+ and I'm not really digging the idea of adjusting and tweaking shifter components right out of the gate. The weight is also a problem. On the other hand I was leaning towards a new Specialized Secteur for $850 at a local shop that offers free lifetime maintenance in addition to the Specialized warranty.
Depending how deep the shifter issue goes it could only take a wasted, frustrating weekend of farting around with it or ruined weekend ride to eat up the $350 difference between the used bike asking price and the brand new one with warranty and free lifetime maintenance.
What are your thoughts and what would be an appropriate offer to make on this?
Bluebook estimates
