preamp - price vs age


I am looking for a Cary SPL98 preamp, and I found one locally. It is an older unit in chrome probably manufactured in 1997. The price is about $200 cheaper than some of the newer red unit sold in Audiogon. It also doesn't have a remote. My concern is the age. I believe the caps would need to be upgrade after some time. Is it too old to buy a 13 yrs old unit? Would the cheaper price compensate for the age?
gte357s

Showing 3 responses by marakanetz

If it was working all these years and tubes replaced promptly, it shouldn't be an issue. Otherwise DC electrolytic caps might need to be checked/replaced for circuit safety reasons. Make sure to mark + - to avoid misconnecting.
For power supply and transformer I would recommend inspecting mounting tightness and replacing or adding soft washers or silicon between the chassis and mount.
Signal path caps less-likely need to be replaced.
Finalize your work with resoldering all joints with fresh solder if you're savyy.
For me it's worth. I usually tax the same amount if I pick up equipment to fix or to service (mainly studio gear and live sound)