Buying Used P3S, First Drone

[PogiBoy]

Hi Guys,

I am new and I am about to buy my first Phantom. I am buying a used P3S for $300 on Craiglist. The owner said he did not flew it as much, only 3 to 4 time and no crashes. But then again I am pretty sure a seller will say anything to sell. So for $300 it includes all the accessories it came with, 2 extra OEM batteries, pelican like case, and tablet holder.

I also read what to look for buying used on the forum such as cracks, flight log, battery cycle, and demo.

The guy is willing to demo the P3S, but he said he needs to relearn how to use it again since the last flight was 7 months ago, and he said he is 73 years old. His age might be a concern for me, not being discriminatory, but he might not have the reflexes to control it and probably have crashed it.

So my questions are, anything else I should be looking or inspecting while he is demoing it? Is $300 dollars a good deal for this P3S used bundle? at this price should I just buy a refurb with DJI 1 year warranty? I have seen a DJI refurb P3S for as low as $320 at reputable retailers such as Frys Electronics. Batteries should be going down in price with the new Spark drone I have seen then go as low as $106.

Any suggestions or word of wisdom is appreciated. Especially for owners who bought a used Phantom on Craiglist. Pull the trigger or not? I am meeting him tomorrow.

Thank you guys!

 

[Phil56]

Sounds like you have your ducks in a row. I'd go for it. It's a good deal. Too bad you were not close to someone that could fly the drone? What state?

 

[FLYBOYJ]

That's a good price especially if you're getting extra batteries and a case. I own 3 P3S' and two were bought second hand and I had no real issues.

Some suggestions;

Fire up the drone and check the status of both batteries and how many times they were charged. This will be an indicator on how many times the aircraft was flown "at least" at 20 minute intervals. For example, I bought a P3P 2nd hand and determined the previous owner flew the aircraft 10 times as he had just one battery. If he depleted the battery after every flight I'll assume he flew at least 20 minutes each time. 10 x 20 = 200 minutes flight time.

Look around the body seam halves. Usually after a good crash you'll see some deformation at the seams and sometimes alignment tabs (part of the body halves) dislodges and tucks over the exterior of the shell. Additionally I would look at any "tool marks" at the mating halves indicating if the previous owner removed the top shell.

Lastly check the plastic on the lower body half under the motors - this spot is notorious for stress cracks.

Hope this helps!

 

[120CCPM]

Go for it, sounds like a very good deal. I'd say to visually inspect it, then send it up in the air for a short test. No need to do anything crazy, just hover and make sure that it stays in position (good satellite lock, no compass issues), doesn't make strange noise, and the video remains stable if you move the right stick left-right up-down, just to confirm everything is ok with the gimbal.
As for the man being 73, don't worry, there's plenty of RC hobbyist older than that, who fly models much more complicated and difficult than a drone.

 

[ykamenet]

I would absolutely record a video and then view it on the computer to verify if there is any wobble/shaking in the video. From my experience (now that I crashed mine once and bought another used drone to fix for parts) the biggest issue after the crash would be gimbal. Everything can look pristine but the shaking in the video would indicate that there may be an issue. I would check basic stuff - visual, motors, props (look for any cracks), do an auto take off, take it up a bit and record a video while slowly turning and panning (make sure you bring a micro SD card if it doesn't come with one), turn camera down and up using remote, then take it to auto landing. Review the video on a laptop that you should bring with you. If it flies well and video is smooth - you got yourself a real bargain. A like new drone with all the extras you are getting is an awesome price and you'll be happy with it. Good luck

 

[PogiBoy]

Thank you guys, I pulled the trigger. The guy was nice enough to let everything go for $280. I think I got a good deal. He him self said he was giving it away. I will post some pics soon.

 

[120CCPM]

Glad you did it, you won't regret it, P3S is really a great drone, and you definitely got a fantastic deal. Just take your time, read the entire manual and learn as much as you can before sending it up in the air (especially about the Return-To-Home feature, how to set its altitude, how to trigger it manually, what to do if the DJI GO app crashes, etc).

 

[ifly2high]

Great deal, good for you!![emoji4]

 

[ShaunMac]

You got a great deal. Enjoy