A cheap used CNC that will not hold size is not a bargain. Age on the data plate is almost useless. What matters is how it was run, whether the expensive parts still have life, and whether you can still get the control supported.
This is the walk we do before we buy a machine, and the same walk we want a buyer to do on our floor. You can do most of it in an hour if the machine is under power.
See it run
Ask to see the machine homed, then making a cut. Listen for spindle growl, axis hunting, and a tool changer that clacks or misses. A coat of paint hides crashes. A cycle under load does not.
If you cannot visit, get a video of it running and a screenshot of the control diagnostics. We photograph both on every machine we list. Example: this 2019 Haas VF-5/50XT.
Read the hours. Ignore the year.
On this Haas the calendar says 2019. Power-on time is 39,151 hours. Main spindle total usage is 1,744 hours, with 70,954 tool changes. That is a machine that sat ready a lot and actually cut a lot less. That is a good used VMC. A 2019 with 12,000 spindle hours and a noisy taper is a different machine.
Ask for:
- Spindle hours, not just power-on
- Tool-change count
- Alarm history
- The last time values were reset, and why
If the hour meters were zeroed and nobody can say when, treat the machine as unknown.
Spindle, taper, and the cut
A spindle rebuild is the check that ruins a “deal.” Run it at a few speeds, including high. Feel for heat after 20–30 minutes. Listen. Check the taper for pickup and wear. If you can, indicate runout.
Then look at the table and the way covers. Pull a cover if they will let you. Flaking ways or crunchy ball screws show up as backlash and a finish you cannot hold. Over about 0.001" of backlash on an axis, budget a screw.
Open-door shot of a 2015 Hurco VMX42i so you can see table and spindle before you commit:
Control support and the options that are actually on
The control is the other expensive surprise. Confirm the exact model and whether parts and service still exist. Then open the option/feature screen. Do not take the seller’s word that “it has through-spindle coolant” or a 4th axis.
On the VF-5/50XT the feature page shows through-spindle coolant, 4th axis, high-speed machining, rigid tapping, and a 7,500 RPM spindle as purchased. Fifth axis is off. That is the kind of list you want printed or photographed, not remembered.
A newer control on a late-model mill/turn is a different conversation. This 2022 Okuma MULTUS B250 II is four years old, OSP control, still in the window where factory support is normal.
What has to be in the deal
Get this in writing:
- Chucks, vises, tool holders, tailstock, manuals
- Parameter and program backup
- Whether the transformer, chip conveyor, and tooling in the photos stay with the machine
Missing holders and a dead parameter file show up after the truck leaves.
Auction, private sale, or a dealer floor
Private sale and auction win on price. You lose the right to reject a machine that looks fine in five JPEGs and dies on the first shift. A dealer costs more because the machine is already here, inspected, and under power in a 225,000 sq ft showroom. You can bring an indicator.
That is the trade. If you know how to rebuild a spindle and you have time, bid at auction. If the machine has to make parts next month, come walk it.
Current machines you can inspect
Start with used CNC vertical machining centers and used CNC lathes, or the full used machinery list. If you are selling one, get a number from us instead of guessing from sold listings.
Call 770.621.0495 and tell us which machine you want under power. We will have it ready.
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