What should I look out for in buying a used Xbox360

[thelung]

I have been thinking about buying a Xbox 360. I have seen a few games the really peak my interest(Injustice). I am wondering what I should look out for in buying a used 360? I know about the RROD and it doesn't seem to hard to fix it since I have electronic experience. I don''t know a lot about the newer systems. All I have that is newer is a WII and I don't play it my son does.

My main concern are things like bricking, rooting, jailbreaking, and other terms I see used to describe the newer game systems that I do not know what they mean or how they affect the system. Heck I kept seeing Dishonored Xbox360 ads and thought Microsoft wouldn't let that Xbox go online with them. It wasn't till I was talking to a friend that he told me it was a game. What should I look for in a used 360? I can also follow directions so fixing a broken one isn't out of the question if it can be fixed.

[soera]

Usually when I look for used systems, if it has the words "Microsoft" or "Xbox" on it, I leave it where it is. If you stick with items that say "Sony" "Sega" or "Nintendo" you will probably fare okay.

[haloofthesun]

I have been thinking about buying a Xbox 360. I have seen a few games the really peak my interest(Injustice). I am wondering what I should look out for in buying a used 360? I know about the RROD and it doesn't seem to hard to fix it since I have electronic experience. I don''t know a lot about the newer systems. All I have that is newer is a WII and I don't play it my son does.

My main concern are things like bricking, rooting, jailbreaking, and other terms I see used to describe the newer game systems that I do not know what they mean or how they affect the system. Heck I kept seeing Dishonored Xbox360 ads and thought Microsoft wouldn't let that Xbox go online with them. It wasn't till I was talking to a friend that he told me it was a game. What should I look for in a used 360? I can also follow directions so fixing a broken one isn't out of the question if it can be fixed.

I've had a 360 since 2008 and I've never had any problems with it, except one time when lightning struck a powerline and caused a surge and some parts got burned. I've gotten a red ring a couple of times, but they were always after moving to a new place, so I'm sure it had to do with the 360 being shaken up and out in the heat, but turning it off and turning it back on fixed it, so it wasn't an actual RROD.

Bricking means doing something to your console (modifying it) which then causes it to no longer function. Jailbreaking is modifying it to run emulators (programs to play games from other consoles like SNES, Genesis, etc.) among other things, so unless you're interested in that there's no need to worry.

It's pretty simple, really. Just look for one with a decent sized Hard Drive if you're interested in downloading any games from their marketplace, otherwise just look for the usual stuff: signs that the console was well maintained, etc.

[ffxik]

I have a used one actually.   Make sure the system doesn't suffer from the "open door" error.  That means your laser is bad.  It can be replaced easily and cheaply if done by yourself.   

The drive tray sticking.  Basically you hit the button and and the drive don't open.  It's caused by a worn out drive belt.  Again easily replaced and cheap to do so.  Although when I replaced a friends belt it didn't help.   That console has been abused though.

The RROD or Red Ring of Death, buy a different console.  Not worth looking to fix that one.

A bricked console is just a fancy paperweight.   Same as RROD.  Don't bother.

As far as jail-broke console I figure that it would be kinda hard to run across one just anywhere.  So that shouldn't be a problem.

Make sure the system is well maintained that goes for the power brick too.  If that thing get too dirty and overheats it will shutdown the system.  It can be cleaned so it's nothing too major.  Makes sure the system doesn't have an overheating problem.  Other than that my only word would be find a newer model.  Such as a 360 Slim or later model original.  Don't bother with early models they were pretty much junk.  Thanks to the poor heat management they had.

[justin8301]

I would also check to make sure the Xbox can connect to xbox live before you can buy it. The 360 was fairly easy to mod and there are bunch of used consoles out there that have been banned. Once the console is banned there is no legit way of unbanning the unit. I've had a few friends buy a 360 only to find out they couldnt play online cause the previous owner got the console banned.

[thelung]

Thanks for all the info everyone.


This is one of the major things I was wondering but didn't know how to word it. How can I check for this without buying anything?

I would also check to make sure the Xbox can connect to xbox live before you can buy it. The 360 was fairly easy to mod and there are bunch of used consoles out there that have been banned. Once the console is banned there is no legit way of unbanning the unit. I've had a few friends buy a 360 only to find out they couldnt play online cause the previous owner got the console banned.

[justin8301]

Depends on where you are buying it from. I would ask the seller to power on the console for you and make a test Live account. If the console is banned it wont connect to even try to make the account. You wont even have to go through with the account creation. Just the fact that it allows you should be enough.

[sin2beta]

I would go for the XBox 360s. It is the most desired moel and since it is sandwiched between two other models, could be hard to find.

If you get the original phat 360, as long as it works you should be fine. But clean the system when you get it. Most people think that the systems are crap, but tend to be the same people who never clean their computers of dust. It's just something you have to do. And with modern systems being PCs, clean them. This video is a good one:

I'm running a really old 360 and have zero problems, I just keep it clean.

The tray doors tend to have to have their belts cleaned. Most of the time, you don't have to replace them. I never have. But I have cleaned gunk and applied a tiny tiny amount of grease. There's videos for that as well. This is standard maintenance on ANY modern disc based system.

But honestly, if the system works, you should be fine. Just stay away from any advice with towel in the title. Unfortunately Douglas Adams was before the 360.