Private seller...what to look for

Well even though I have ordered a 6" Celestron Starhopper that is on its way to me (Family's first scope), I have found a deal i cannot refuse: A 8" Celestron Starhopper being sold by a private individual for less than I would pay for the 6" new ($200).

Being a newbie I really do not know what to look for when looking at buying a telescope from an individual from an astronomical society. Here is what is included:

Celestron 8" Telescope, Starhopper, Dobsonian mount with 10mm and 25mm lens. TelRad finder. Like New Condition. Comes with Silver weather cover.

I know the Starhoppers come with a 25mm Celestron ep but I do not know the brand of the 10mm. What should I look for to determine if the mirror, optics, mount, tube are all intact with little or no blemishes?

Any and all suggested steps that i need to take to make sure I do not get taken will be greatly appreciated.

Here are some ideas:

1. Arrange to purchase at the next meeting of the astro club.

2. Arrange to purchase at the next public skywatch given by the astro club.

3. Ask if any local astronomers are willing to help you set up and use the scope the first night you have try it. Thats what astro clubs are for.

I'd be wary if the seller doesnt wholeheartedly agree to these terms.

One the downside, well-intentioned astronomers often overload newbies with advice. I'm often guilty of this.

Good luck and congratulations on the new scope, whatever it is. Either one is a superior first scope.

John R

>>Well even though I have ordered a 6" Celestron Starhopper that is on its way to me (Family's first scope), I have found a deal i cannot refuse: A 8" Celestron Starhopper being sold by a private individual for less than I would pay for the 6" new ($200).

Being a newbie I really do not know what to look for when looking at buying a telescope from an individual from an astronomical society. Here is what is included:

Celestron 8" Telescope, Starhopper, Dobsonian mount with 10mm and 25mm lens. TelRad finder. Like New Condition. Comes with Silver weather cover.
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This is probably a pretty good deal. Others have said the astronomy community is basically honest, I agree.

One thing to be aware of is that Celestron has been using the Starhopper name for at least 8 or 10 years and it is likely this is one of the older ones. It is only recently that they began selling them, there was a period of 3 or 4 years when they were out of the marketplace.

This is not necessarily a bad thing, the older Starhoppers were made by Discovery but they are from a generation ago and not as slick as the newer ones.

They used Sonotube, probably had a particle board mirror cell and maybe a single stalk secondary mirror support rather than a spider. The stalk type secondary support makes collimation more difficult because it requires bending the stalk.

At least some of these scopes had aluminum azimuth bearings that were adjustable, a nice feature for balance.

The tubes are also significantly longer than the current Asian made models so it may be more difficult to fit it in your car.

Those older focusers tend to be a bit cruder than the current models...

Dobs are pretty easy to inspect, no hidden electronics or mechanicals to die or replace. It's all right there, the mirrors are the big question. At $200 it is pretty hard to go wrong, especially if you are handy with tools.

Jon