Well... it met its end while I was cleaning the sensor and guess what fell on the sensor? A picture nail :cryin:!!! It was hanging losely on my wall and miraculously fell on the sensor when the mirror was locked up! Needless to say Nikon said repairs were economically pointless. Thus.... I have a budget of $1000 max on a new body (I badly want a D300 but right now I don't have enough cash to buy it and not squirm a bit). I need the body NOW as in I can't wait for the D80 replacement set to be released in mid June and probably realistically shipped in September. This leaves me two options... a new D80 or a used D200. I'm leaning toward the latter. Now I know everyone here has a horror story about ebay but I found a very highly reputable seller who verified a D200 has less than 2000 actuations, has no sensor scratches or dust (looked at a f/22 compilation of lighted wall images) is scuff/scratch free entirely and in otherwise perfect condition. Is it too big of a risk? I heard the D200s were rated to over 100,000 actuations so am I risking something else? I would really like to know what my fellow people think...

Sorry to hear about the D80, that sucks :( Check Adorama. They have a D200 demo for $949.00...

http://www.adorama.com/US%20%20%20%20299464.html

If its an "authorized dealer" such as Cameta and others, I'd go for it.

Well... it met its end while I was cleaning the sensor and guess what fell on the sensor? A picture nail :cryin:!!! It was hanging losely on my wall and miraculously fell on the sensor when the mirror was locked up! Needless to say Nikon said repairs were economically pointless. Thus.... I have a budget of $1000 max on a new body (I badly want a D300 but right now I don't have enough cash to buy it and not squirm a bit). I need the body NOW as in I can't wait for the D80 replacement set to be released in mid June and probably realistically shipped in September. This leaves me two options... a new D80 or a used D200. I'm leaning toward the latter. Now I know everyone here has a horror story about ebay but I found a very highly reputable seller who verified a D200 has less than 2000 actuations, has no sensor scratches or dust (looked at a f/22 compilation of lighted wall images) is scuff/scratch free entirely and in otherwise perfect condition. Is it too big of a risk? I heard the D200s were rated to over 100,000 actuations so am I risking something else? I would really like to know what my fellow people think...

Are you sure that it broke the sensor as there is a IR filter in front of the sensor. Will it still take a photo?

Oh trust me that wasn't just the IR filter :p. Actually the auction is from an individual. What I realize though is for $850-900 I can get a used D200 from Adorama and then I can get a 3 month warranty (or buy an extended one for $50-60) and have more piece of mind. Is Adorama's used department a good one to deal with?

Of the people I've spoken to and based on my own experience, their used department is on the whole okay, maybe a little hit and miss sometimes. If they mess up, they will usually fix it fast, though.

I called up adorama and asked about the D200 they had listed as E+ (the highest rating) for $899. He said that if there's anything wrong with it for six months they'll take care of repairs. He also gave me an actuation count of 4650 which is very reasonable and said that they would enclose a new battery with it just to be sure. There's also a 14 day return policy. Sounds pretty good I have to say.

Sounds like a one-in-a-million chance - bummer! I have used both (although only a short time with the D80) and really prefer the D200. It's a little heavier which I like, but it also seems more intuitive to use based on using other Nikons over the years. Settings are easier to adjust, but maybe it's a personal preference. I bought mine used but it was from a friend so I knew the history. Never bought used from Adorama, but they seem like they'd be a decent place to deal with. You might also want to check B&H and KEH.