Look in your paper for second hand. You'll pay half.

If you weigh a bit, PAY MORE, because I can tell you from personal experience that the cheaper ones skip bigtime!

Check out eBay.

You could move in with some liberals and get your excersize climbing the walls.

It is very hard to read when you are jogging up and down. Big print makes it easier, but the faster you run, the harder reading is. Reading thus works against the exercise.

But hey, there's an idea -- an iris-following stablised reading device for treadmills and such!

Screw the treadmill. Be a man about it and get them cross-country or training shoes on (don't be too cheap-- go spend at least $100 to get yourself fitted in a sports shoe shop, and get some decent soles as well) and hit the roads. It's good for ya.

Oh ... and I'd reccommend a used unit for starters. Especially good prices on slightly used units in March/April after people give them up. Can get 1/3th-1/5th the retail or beter.

2nd hand one is a good idea....or, go to Sams Club and buy the Image treadmill (an excellent one at an excellent price) for $699 I think. I paid quite a bit more than that for mine. (I know nothing about the proform one they also carry, except that Sears, etc carries that one too. Image is only carried by higher end sporting goods stores.)

Try to find a used TRUE 400 series.

You can definitely get good deals on used ones...Two caveats..the cheaper models...less weight, and mass.....aren't safe.....check out the CU reports for reviews......also, the more professional models require some assembly..usually when you buy it new, the store sends out a few folks to lug it inside and put it together.....also, if you're planning on putting it in an upstairs room....like a spare bedroom..make sure your ceing can stand the load and the vibration....

Well, it'd probably be cheaper to have your husband drive around the mall while holding your wallet out the window.

You'll probably run faster too!!

simple ...find out the brands you like, which seem to be to be reliable and keep your eyes open. This stuff ends up in yard sales at less then 10 cents on the dollar.

People buy these things then let them collect dust. Usually almost new condition. Take the differnce in money you saved and invest, blow, do a good did whatever.

I got a $ 2000 lifecycle in new condition for 50 bucks that way.

But I'd worry about muggers, rapists and dogs....and my JogBra has no pocket for my .38

Skip it. You are born with a given number of heartbeats, the faster you use them up..... 8^)

I'd get a family membership at a club that has PreCor ellipticals. They sell for $6,000 each, but they're the best. You'll get 60% more burn than with a treadmill, because it's upper and lower body.

An added benefit is that it will get you out of the house and into the faces of the sheeple.

Good Health!

Stairmaster. eBay. Superior to treadmill.

some of us don't enjoy good weather conditions or safe neighborhoods in which to walk.

Five reasons to get a dog to walk rather than a treadmill:

• The dog won't end up standing in the corner with clothes hanging all over him.
• The dog has a built in reminder circuit to tell you when its time to exercise.
• You'll grow to love the dog, you'll grow to hate the treadmill.
• Dogs attract women, treadmills attract dust.
• If you want to cheat on the workout, the dog can be bribed.
• A used dog is even cheaper than a used treadmill.

I bought a treadmill last year...a Precor 9.25, probably a bit higher-end than what you are looking for (I hit a big New Year's Day sale at Fitness Warehouse...if you wait that long, definitely see if there's one in your area and go there on New Year's Day).

I'll say this without reservation...the price of new treadmills SHOCKED me. The treadmills in the price range you're looking for are referred to in the industry as "disposable"...meaning they'll last 5-7 years tops, possibly a lot less with heavy use. If this will meet your needs, get one and DO NOT let anyone talk you into something more expensive. For walking and light running, it will do fine...I do not know which brands are good in that price range, though...sorry.

My wife and I both run 15-20 miles a week, and we would have killed a lower-end unit. If you will eventually run this much or more, start saving your pennies...you will be flushing money down the toilet if you buy a low-end model and wear it out in two years.

Moving up to the next level of quality, the prices go from the high $1,000s to over $2,000, to even more silly levels. There is ONE PARTICULAR MODEL in this price range that, from my research, stands out from the crowd...the PaceMaster Pro Plus. The company has been in business for over 30 years, it has all the basic features, it's at the low end of the price spectrum ($1,800 - $2,000, I think) and I've never heard a bad word about it. The ONLY reason I didn't buy this model was because of the great sale...I basically got a Lexus for the price of a Toyota. But in the case of the Pace Master, the Toyota is almost certainly all that you will ever need.

Hope that helps...