Buying a pair of Technics SL-1200M3Ds for $750. Is this a good deal / what else should I check?

Question

Hey everyone,

A seller locally is offering a pair of Technics SL-1200M3Ds for $750 total.

Here is the breakdown of the gear: • Both turntables come with original Technics headshells and Shure M44-7 cartridges (missing one stylus). • The seller mentioned they haven't had a professional tune-up in ~12 years, but confirmed the pitch faders hold steady, audio channels work fine, and tonearm bearings are solid. • Cosmetically, they have some DJ stickers on the body and Scratch DJ Academy slipmats.

My Questions for the Community:

  1. Is $750 for the pair a no-brainer at today's market rates?
  2. Inspection Checklist: I'm meeting the seller tonight to test them in my car using my AC power outlet. Besides wiggling the tonearm bearings, testing the pitch/strobe dots, and checking platter wobble, is there anything specific to the M3D model or 20+ year-old 1200s I should look for before handing over the cash?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Posted Aug 14, 2026, 12:47 AM UTC

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