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Went to see a saw listed in an ad today. The saw is a Rikon 10-325 sitting in a shop fox mobile base. The saw is missing a few parts. It is missing:
drive belt
lower thrust bearing guide
lower door on the cabinet
handle to loosen the table tilt
blade
knob on top for the tension screw
What would you offer for the saw? New one is $800, so I'm starting at $400, then I'm taking off parts value from there. It's also very peculiar that the lower thrust bearing is missing. And of course, since these parts were missing, and I couldn't actually test the saw, that was another factor to consider.
I offered him what I thought was fair given the circumstances. I laid two benjamins and four twenties on the table. He didn't take it. Can't say I blame him, but I don't think it's worth much more how it's sitting. Seller wasn't the owner of the saw, it was just in his shed and he was trying to move it for cash. I'm going to price out the parts and reconsider my offer.
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With that list of missing parts, I would worry about whether or not:
the motor works,
the shafts are bent,
the pulleys are co-planar (not usually a problem for the Rikons),
the power switch works
You don't mention whether or not the possessor was willing to drag an extension cord out to the shed to run the motor. If you are going back, I would carry enough extension cords with you to test it before making your next offer.
"the most important safety feature on any tool is the one between your ears." - Ken Vick
A wish for you all: May you keep buying green bananas.
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I think your offer was fair. While there are times a tool is missing a part you can live without, I think each of the parts you have listed are pretty necessary. If it was in excellent running condition, I might go as high as 70 to 75% of the best price you can find new. Since there is no blade or drive belt, there is no way for you to really test the saw, so that brings a heavy discount, plus the missing parts. If it were me, I wouldn't go much higher than your $280 offer. I doubt you would find any of those parts used, so you have to factor in those costs as well.
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Just curious, any explanation as to why all the missing parts? Your offer was more than fair, IMHO.
Doug
Satisfied Rikon 10-340 owner
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I would have stopped at two benjamins. I pulled a Jet JPM-13 planer/molder out of a basement that was just a motor and 3/4 of the planer. I offered him about what the motor was worth. He actually understood when I started naming parts and prices need to get it running. I was shocked he took my offer. It looks brand new now and I am in less then 1/2 of what a new one would be. 
"There is no such thing as stupid questions, just stupid people"
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Well I bought the sears version years ago when it was brand new. It has more re saw capacity than the risk on version. I bought it and a 6" jointer for under $400 out the door.
Imo that saw is a parts saw and may have been a shipping damaged one for a woodcraft that was tossed in the dumpster after being used for parts.
A couple issues with the rikon/craftsman saw are the bearings on the wheels are shielded and will fill up with fine dust. Happened to me.. was running just fine then one speck of dust too much and it sized up and destroyed the belt. The belt is a micro serpentine and non standard.
The blade guard.. The extruded piece in front of the blade sticks down almost an inch too far for no reason making it hard to see the blade as you cut. This nub needs to be cut off to see the cut.
It's a little of a pain to get the table to perfect angles due to the trunk on style but this style is more common on other saws as well. Just remember to barely loosen it when moving it.
Personally I'd order a grizzly instead. If I were buying that rikon I'd offer no more than $50 maybe $100 if the parts prices weren't too bad but when you add it up it might not be worth it.
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I think you made a fair offer, not knowing if it works or what else is missing that you didn't notice. You didn't mention the condition otherwise, though.
FWIW, I think the Craftsman clone of the Rikon 14" is more like the Rikon 10-320, not the Rikon 10-325 that the OP is talking about.
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$100 tops. Something bad happened to that saw and I personally wouldn't offer more than I was willing to throw in the trash if there are other hidden issues.
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The shed (portable building) did have electricity and the motor fires up fine after the normal delay (read about the delay in the FAQs on the Rikon website). I spun those nice big cast iron wheels by hand. Didn't notice any wobble or drag in either wheel. I took my light and looked all under the table and the trunion and didn't see any cracks. The saw is relatively clean. The usual usage dust. It did cross my mind that the saw might have been dropped, but if it landed on something, I didn't see where. No dents in the doors, no scuffs on the spine. The price on the drive belt and the lower thrust bearing assembly are my main concerns. I emailed Rikon with a parts list this morning, but haven't heard back from them yet. The possessor has only a minor clue of what he has and its condition. He had it advertised as a Shop Fox saw because it's sitting in a Shop Fox mobile base. Thank goodness he took a picture of the serial tag and I could make out the work RIKON. I tried to educate him a bit on what all is wrong with it and give him some tips for listing. Hopefully the parts from Rikon will come back reasonable and he won't get any other offers on the saw. Then I might drive a deal. And don't these things always come in twos? This saw was posted Tuesday and just yesterday somebody local advertised a DW735 in pristine condition for $325 with no feed tables. I would have at least gone and looked at it. Too bad tool budget can only handle one tool or the other right now. I honestly don't use the bandsaw that much, but might would if I had a really nice one. And the planer wouldn't be much good without a jointer, but I'd be halfway to the pair at least. 
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UPDATE:
As soon as I posted my last reply, I got the quote back from Rikon. $104 + S&H to replace everything. Sounds like my offer was spot on ($400 start - parts = $280), maybe even a little generous. Main drivers are the belt ($17), the knob for the tension screw ($10), handle for the table lock ($8), cabinet door ($30), and a six pack of bearings ($23). All the rest is hardware.
I think I'm going to lower my offer to like $240 and tell him it may go down further the longer he waits to take it. If I could be in it for $350, I'd feel OK. At this point, it needs to be a deal.
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