Comparisons
A new AC or a reconditioned one
Buy reconditioned if you can see a pressure test, a measured running current and the gas type before paying — it is genuinely good value at roughly a third of new. Buy new if the unit will run daily for years, because an inverter unit's running-cost saving outgrows the purchase difference.
Last reviewed
What separates a good used unit from a bad one
Three checks, all of which can be done in front of you: does it hold pressure under test, does it draw the current its rating plate says, and what gas does it use. A unit that has simply been topped up to look alive on a shop floor will run beautifully for a fortnight and be warm by the next month.
The R22 question
Older units run R22, which is being phased down and gets more expensive per charge each year. The unit cools perfectly well; the cost lands when it eventually leaks and needs refilling. A cheap R22 unit can still be the right buy — you just want to know what a future refill will cost before choosing it, not after.
Where new wins on arithmetic
For a unit running daily through long summers, a new inverter's lower consumption compounds. Over several seasons that running-cost gap can exceed the purchase saving on a used non-inverter. The comparison is not purchase price against purchase price; it is total cost across the years you will actually run it.
Warranty, honestly stated
A reconditioned unit should carry a written warranty on the compressor and the work for a stated period, with its exclusions named. It will be shorter than a manufacturer's warranty on new, and it should be. Anyone offering a used compressor the same cover as a new one has either not priced it or will not honour it.
Should I buy a used air conditioner?
How much less does a reconditioned unit cost?
Roughly a third to a half of an equivalent new unit, depending on age, brand and whether it is an inverter model. Reconditioned inverter units cost more than reconditioned non-inverters and are worth the difference where the unit will run daily, for the same running-cost reasons that apply to new.
What should I ask before buying a used AC?
Ask for the pressure test result, the measured running current against the rating plate, the gas type, the age, and what was replaced during reconditioning. A seller who will not do those checks in front of you is telling you something. Get the warranty and its exclusions in writing at the same time.
Is a used inverter unit a bad idea?
Not inherently, but the board is the part that ages least visibly and costs most to replace. Buy one only where parts for that brand are genuinely available here and the warranty covers the electronics, not just the compressor. Otherwise a used non-inverter is the safer used purchase.
Rather have it done?
A properly reconditioned split unit costs a fraction of new and, checked honestly, gives years of service. A 1.5 ton reconditioned unit runs PKR 45,000 to 85,000 with fitting, and what separates a good buy from a bad one is a pressure test and a running measurement before money changes hands.
Used and reconditioned air conditioners in Islamabad — prices and scope