Buying a Used Concept 2 Rower: Model D vs E and What to Inspect
A used Concept 2 rower is the rare piece of home fitness equipment that refuses to lose money. New, a RowErg runs right around a thousand dollars before shipping. On our own marketplace, used ones sell between $775 and $1,465, and most land between $950 and $1,200. A 2017 Model D with a PM5 recently went for $1,025. A 2024 RowErg went for $1,050. Seven years of age difference, twenty five dollars of price difference.
I help people buy and sell large fitness equipment for a living, and I have delivered a lot of rowers. Concept 2 is the one brand where I tell buyers to stop hunting for a bargain and start hunting for a clean machine, because the bargain mostly does not exist. Below: what separates the Model D from the Model E, why the monitor matters more than the frame, what total meters really tell you (less than you think), and what to inspect before you hand over money.
What a used Concept 2 rower costs right now
A used Concept 2 rower in good condition costs between $900 and $1,200 in most of the country, roughly 90 percent of new. Concept 2 does not discount, does not run holiday sales, and has kept the same core design for two decades, so there is no model-year cliff to fall off of. The actual spread from listings I have handled:
- $775 to $900: older frames, usually 2006 to 2012, with a PM3 monitor. Mechanically fine. The monitor is the compromise.
- $950 to $1,100: the meat of the market. Model D or RowErg, PM5 monitor, moderate home use.
- $1,150 to $1,465: nearly unused machines, often two or three years old with a few hours on them. People buy these in January and sell them in June.
That top band sounds absurd until you price a new one with shipping and realize you are paying a small premium to skip the wait and get it carried into your basement. One of the machines above had four hours of total use on it. Four hours.
Our used Concept 2 rowers and the broader rowing machine listings are the fastest way to compare real prices instead of guessing.
Model D vs Model E vs RowErg: what actually changes
The Model D and the Model E are the same rowing machine with different legs. Same flywheel, same chain, same damper, same stroke. The E sits higher, weighs more, and has a nicer finish.
The naming got confusing in 2021, when Concept 2 retired the letters. The Model D became the RowErg and the Model E became the RowErg Tall. So a 2019 Model D and a 2023 RowErg are, for buying purposes, the same machine. Sellers still use the old names interchangeably, and listings routinely say “Model D” for a machine built well after the rename.
| Model D / RowErg | Model E / RowErg Tall | |
|---|---|---|
| Seat height | About 14 inches | About 20 inches |
| Weight | Lighter, easier to move alone | Roughly ten pounds heavier |
| Finish | Painted frame | Powder coated, holds up better |
| Monitor arm | Flexible arm, swings out of the way | Fixed rigid arm |
| Storage | Separates into two pieces, no tools | Separates, but bulkier halves |
| Used price | $900 to $1,200 | Usually $100 to $200 more |
| Best for | Most people, most rooms | Bad knees, bad hips, tall rowers |
Buy the E if getting off the floor is hard for you. A 20 inch seat is chair height, so you sit down onto it and stand up off of it like a dining chair. Buy the D for everything else, because it is cheaper, lighter, and far more common, which means more listings to choose from. One thing that trips people up: the E’s rigid monitor arm cannot swing aside, so if you plan to store the machine upright in a closet, measure first.
The PM monitor matters more than the frame
On a used Concept 2 rower, the monitor is the only part that meaningfully ages. There have been three in common circulation: the PM3, the PM4, and the PM5.
The PM5 is the one you want. It has Bluetooth and ANT+, so it talks to heart rate straps and third party apps, and it works with Concept 2’s own ErgData. The PM3 and PM4 predate that. They still count strokes, splits, and watts perfectly well, and if you only care about rowing hard and watching the numbers, a PM3 machine at $800 is a genuinely good buy.
But if you want the machine to sync anywhere, price the upgrade in. Concept 2 sells PM5 retrofit kits that fit back to the Model C, and swapping one is a ten minute job with a screwdriver. Budget a couple hundred dollars for the kit, then decide whether that $800 PM3 machine is still the cheaper path. Often it is not.
The PM5 runs on two D cell batteries and also draws power from the flywheel as you row. If a monitor looks dead on arrival, try fresh batteries before assuming anything is wrong. I have watched a seller drop their asking price twice over a dead battery.
Total meters: what they actually tell you
Total meters are stored on the monitor, not on the frame. It is the single most useful thing to know when buying a used Concept 2 rower, and almost nobody tells you.
It means the number can be wrong in both directions. A replaced monitor shows low meters on an old frame. A swapped-in used monitor shows high meters on a nearly new frame. Neither is necessarily dishonest, and neither is proof of anything.
So treat meters as one data point, not a verdict. Ask the seller to pull it up (it lives in the monitor’s memory menu), then look at physical wear to see whether the story matches: the shine on the chain, the wear on the seat rollers, the grip on the handle. A machine claiming 200,000 meters with a polished chain groove and flattened rollers has been rowed a lot more than that.
As for limits, there effectively is not one. Boathouses and CrossFit gyms put millions of meters on these and keep them in service for decades. What wears out is the chain, the shock cord, the seat rollers, and the handle grip, and Concept 2 still sells every one of those parts, including for machines built in the 1990s. That parts support is the real reason these hold value, and it is why I would take a well maintained million meter Concept 2 over a neglected 100,000 meter one.
What to inspect on a used Concept 2 rower
Five things, in order of how much they cost to fix.
- Pull the handle slowly, all the way out. It should feel smooth and even, then retract on its own without hesitating or slapping. A handle that returns lazily means a stretched shock cord. Cheap part, easy fix, but it should show up in the price.
- Look at the chain. It should be lightly oiled and dark, not dry and orange. Concept 2 asks for oiling every 250 hours of use, and a dry chain is the clearest sign a machine was rowed hard and never maintained. A rusted one tells you what else got skipped.
- Slide the seat the full length of the rail. Listen for grinding, feel for flat spots. Rollers are the most common worn part on a high mileage machine and the most annoying to live with.
- Check the monitor, then the drag factor. Turn it on, confirm no dead display segments, then row ten strokes and find drag factor in the menu. The damper lever from 1 to 10 only changes airflow into the flywheel. Drag factor is the number that actually describes resistance, and if it reads oddly low with the damper wide open, the flywheel housing is packed with dust.
- Separate the frame into two pieces. It should come apart by hand, no tools. If the connection is seized, the machine has probably lived somewhere damp.
What I would not worry about: cosmetic scratches, a faded sticker, a slightly grimy flywheel housing, or an older frame. None of that affects how the machine rows or what it will be worth in three years.
Why a Concept 2 rower barely depreciates
Concept 2 is the only home cardio brand where buying used is not obviously the smart financial move. Ninety percent of new is a rough deal by used equipment standards, and on the machines we handle most, a used Peloton or Hydrow runs a fraction of retail.
Three things drive it. The design has barely changed, so a 2012 machine is not obsolete. Parts exist for everything, so nothing becomes a paperweight. And there is no subscription, so no owner is paying monthly for a reason to quit. Compare that to screen-based rowers, where the membership is exactly why a lot of them get sold. Our Hydrow vs Peloton Row comparison covers that subscription math, and the rowing machine buying guide covers air versus magnetic versus water resistance.
So should you buy a used Concept 2 rower?
Yes, if you match most of this list:
- You want a machine still worth money in five years and still supported with parts in fifteen.
- You do not want a subscription, and numbers on a small grey screen beat an instructor on a big one.
- You have about 9 feet by 4 feet of floor, or somewhere to stand it upright.
- You care about comparable data. Watts and splits on a Concept 2 mean the same thing on every other Concept 2, which is why competitive rowing standardized on it.
- You would rather pay once than pay monthly.
- You can find one with a PM5, or you have priced the retrofit into your offer.
Skip it if you need a screen and a coach to actually show up and train. That is a real requirement, not a weakness, and a Concept 2 will sit unused in a corner if it is what gets you moving. Buy the machine that matches how you actually behave.
One story that stuck with me: a mom bought a rower for her teenage son, and there was a hiccup with the order on our end. We fixed it at no charge and made it right. Rowers get bought for kids and for knees more than anything else, and both of those buyers want the same thing, which is that it works when it shows up.
A Concept 2 weighs about 60 pounds and splits into two pieces, but it is still 8 feet long and awkward on stairs. Our drivers pick it up from the seller, run a 30 to 50 point inspection, and bring it to you, so nobody meets a stranger in a parking lot. You get 60 minutes with it in your home before you pay: row on it, check the monitor, slide the seat, pull the handle. If it is not what was described, you do not pay. Everything carries a 60 day warranty. Details on how our pickup and delivery works.
Frequently asked questions
Is a used Concept 2 rower worth it?
Usually yes, but for a different reason than most used equipment. You are not saving 50 percent. You are paying roughly 90 percent of new to skip shipping, skip assembly, and get it in the room today, and you are buying into a machine that will hold that value when you resell it.
How many meters is too many on a used Concept 2?
There is no real ceiling. Gyms run these into the millions of meters. Judge maintenance instead: an oiled chain, quiet seat rollers, and a handle that snaps back cleanly matter far more than the number on the monitor, which lives on the monitor and can be swapped.
What is the difference between a Concept 2 Model D and a RowErg?
Nothing meaningful. Concept 2 renamed the Model D to RowErg in 2021 and the Model E to RowErg Tall. The machine is the same, and sellers use both names loosely.
Can I upgrade an old PM3 to a PM5?
Yes. Concept 2 sells retrofit kits that fit back to the Model C, and the swap takes about ten minutes with a screwdriver. Price the kit into your offer before you decide an older machine is the cheaper option, because often the gap closes entirely.
Model D or Model E for bad knees?
Model E. The 20 inch seat is chair height, so you are not lowering yourself to the floor and pushing back up off of it. It is the single best reason to pay the premium.
Does a Concept 2 need a subscription?
No. The monitor works fully on its own with no account and no fee. ErgData and the online logbook are free, and third party apps are optional if you have a PM5.
If you have a Concept 2 sitting unused, this is the best resale market in home fitness and you are probably underestimating what it is worth. List it with us and our team handles pickup, payment, and the buyer. You get paid before the machine leaves your house.
Buying instead? Browse the rowers we have inspected and ready, or read our roundup of the best used rowing machine options if you are still choosing between a Concept 2, a Hydrow, and a water rower.