Question:
Rent to own vs Purchasing Intermediate Sax
I am going to be starting sax lessons later this month. I am thinking of either renting to own a student sax, or out right purchasing an intermediate level sax. Could you tell me which one you would recommend for a newbie? My only fear with buying one is what if I am brutal on it, or just don't like it. Would I be able to sell the instrument back to someone for close to the amount I paid for it? Any opinion will be appreciated.
Randy

Answer:
Rent to own programs tend to be rather advantageous for the loaning party. You may well end up paying a large mark up on an instrument that has little trade-in value when you finally make the last payment.
The only real way you'll recoup an investment on a horn when you trade up is if you buy a used/vintage instrument.

Answer:
Rental costs
If you don't have the money, just make sure the rental agreement has no residual payments. $35 a month (with adjustments) for three years while you save for something decent is a small price versus your playing enjoyment.
Be advised that any beater horn you buy at auction should be considered a candidate for immediate overhaul (and you should know that cost, too).
The best place to buy used is your local repair shop - if they provide a warantee.
anji12305"AT"yahoo.com for more direct chat...

Answer:
There are some good horns avaliable on auction but there is a risk of having to dump some money into it or worse. Ive gotten a few pretty decent ones and avoided the rental issue. If you are looking at alto there are a ton of them on the market and you can get in for a pretty good deal. The price you pay for an intermediate shiney new one is going to be rather steep and you could potentially buy closer to a pro level horn if you went the used route.
Even if you go local which is much safer, intermediate horns new cost an easy 1500 and up...mostly up. I bought my pro tenor for somewhat less than that with a fresh quality overhaul....but you have to shop around and do your research...in fact mine has a rather nice finish still and is quite attractive so it doesnt have to be a beater.
Im just not one to pay for a new horn...vintage fan myself...and you will always loose a heap of money on a new horn if you try to turn it over. A good solid used horn maintains its value well if its a good make and taken care of properly.
I personally think the rent to own deal on a intermediate level horn is a bigger gamble than the other two ways of buying...this is because with it you are guarnteed to loose a lot of value in the long run.
Depends on your point of view I suppose...try to get some bang for those bucks....good luck

Answer:
At first i rented to see if i liked the feel of an alto. then 1 year later i used the rent and bought out-right that same one. it was a brand new rental VITO 7131R student. the company let me apply the rent i had payed alredy to the price of the sax!
RENT if you arent sure you are gonna stick with it... then BUY if you are SURE you like it.

Answer:
I'd rent to own for a coupla months. Then, if I found that I liked the beast, go on and buy it, thereby avoiding the remaining interest charges.

Answer:
When I was shopping for my Soprano I looked at many student and intermediate saxes. In my opinion, an intermediate sax is just a dressed up student horn, you know, most pearl buttons and engraving. Tone and playability was just about exactly the same on the student and intermediate models I tried.