The sticker comparison is easy: a refurbished 1.5T system typically costs a fraction of the equivalent new platform. But facilities that buy on sticker price alone get surprised twice — once at installation, and again in year three. Here's the full ledger.

The numbers beyond the magnet

  • Rigging and delivery — moving a multi-tonne magnet into a building is a project, not a shipment, and it costs the same whether the magnet is new or refurbished
  • RF shielding — a new room needs a full Faraday cage; replacing like-for-like in an existing suite often reuses most of it
  • Chiller and power — older buildings frequently need electrical or cooling upgrades; this surprises more budgets than the magnet does
  • Construction downtime — every week the room is a worksite is a week of zero revenue from that suite

This is why a quote that covers only the system is a half-quote. Insist on a delivered-and-installed number from whoever you buy from.

Where refurbished wins

Capital efficiency. For a clinic whose referrers need solid routine imaging — MSK, neuro, body — a refurbished MAGNETOM Aera or Optima MR450w delivers the clinical capability that fills the schedule, at a price that can make the difference between one scanner and two. The proven-platform advantage is real too: every failure mode of a ten-year-old platform is documented, parts are plentiful, and any competent ISO can service it without OEM dependency.

Where new wins

Frontier capability and the OEM umbrella. If your program needs current-generation sequences, AI reconstruction, or research features, refurbished can't get you there. New systems also come with warranty and the first years of OEM service — you pay heavily for that umbrella, but it's real. Academic centres and high-end programs are usually right to buy new.

The year-three question

Whoever you buy from, the system will need service long after the sales invoice is paid. Ask the questions now:

  • Who services this system after warranty — and what does that contract cost per year?
  • If I buy refurbished, did the seller rebuild it themselves, or broker it? (Buying from the service team means the people who rebuilt your system answer the phone when it faults.)
  • What's the documented service history and what was replaced during refurbishment?

A simple framework

Buy new when the clinical program demands capability that only the current generation has, and the capital exists without starving other priorities. Buy refurbished when proven routine capability fills your schedule — and put the difference toward a second system, staff, or the service plan that keeps uptime high. In both cases, judge the seller by the completeness of their installed quote and the team behind their warranty.

Pricing a system right now? Tell us the platform and the site, and we'll quote the whole install — magnet, rigging, shielding, chiller — as one number. Request a quote or call 236-988-6666.