Any knowledgeable bike enthusiasts here?

[Surely]

I will be buying my first 'serious' bike within the next week, and have focused on the Trek 7.2 FX or 7.3 FX (to me, those are serious bikes).

I came across an ad on craigslist for a 2008 'Like New' Trek 7.3 FX for $299. The seller claims he only rode it a couple of times. Trek's website lists that model at $639. I was even able to get the seller down to $275 , and will probably be able to meet him tonight to make the purchase.

To me, this seems too good to be true. Is it? Am I potentially buying from a thief? I don't want to buy stolen property- it would suck if someone stole my bike and sold it on craigslist. And thieves don't deserve my hard-earned money, no matter how low the price.

I don't have enough bike-knowledge to know if this kind of price drop is common or if it really is sketchy and too good to be true. Any advice?

 

[bruinsrme]

Ask him for the serail numbers. There should be two. You can always run them by the police.

 

[Gray-Wolf]

It's also possible, he lost interest and simply wants to be rid of it. Some people go cheap to just get the money rather than finding someone who would really like it and be willing to pay a higher price.

 

[LethalWolfe]

Call local bike shops and see how much it goes for. Official websites will list MSRP which can be significantly higher than the 'street price.' If the price at your local bike shop is still significantly higher than $299 then I bet the bike is stolen. Yes, some people will sell something at any cost just to get rid of it, but from my experience most people selling on Craigslist overvalue what they are selling.


Lethal

 

[Surely]

So an update: I bought the 7.3 FX from the Craigslist seller tonight for $275. He gave me all the original paperwork, including the receipt- so it's a legit sale. It's a beautiful bike and it's in mint condition. It was actually all dusty from keeping it in storage for the past couple of months.

Here's his story: it was an up-sale impulse buy for him (he was looking at a less expensive bike, and the salesman convinced him to buy the 7.3). He just needed some quick $$$ for some car repairs.

To LethalWolfe: I've done my research with local bike shops. The original sale price could have been anywhere from $550 to $640.

Thanks to the few who offered advice.