Used Fanatec CSW V1: is it worth it?

I'm thinking about upgrading my G27 to a fanatec wheel. I found a used CSW V1 base for a really good price, pretty much 1/3 of what I'd pay for a new V2.5 here in Brazil. But is it worth it? Are they reliable enough that I shouldn't get any headaches buying it used?
I've also seen some talk about modding them to have more torque than they have out of the box. Are those mods viable or not very good it in the long run?

 

Yes, big improvement over G27. I’ve owned both... it’s a two step improvement and I had no quality problems. Just remember you need a CSW rim also.

 

Yes, I already found a Formula carbon rim I can buy. I just wonder: in many places I've read that from V1 to V2 and V2.5 they've solved many issues and some make it seem like it's a night and day difference. Are there any issues with the V1 that are actually dealbreakers? Can I fix some, if not all of them?

 

Based on my experience I would be very cautious and also if you plan to modify it however if it's cheap and money is not a problem for you go for it. I have had a new CSR elite and a second hand CSW v 2.0 and both failed through no fault of my own. I never run high settings and keep loads under clipping. The first CSR was a while ago so obviously their hardware has improved a lot however it was still under warranty I had to pay for the expensive shipping back and forth to have it repaired. At the time I was living in Australia and this was not cheap. In my opinion if fanatec except responsibilty and repair the device the shipping cost should be reimbursed on return. My second experience was buying a CSW v2.0 secondhand as fanatec do not deliver to the country I now live in and this ran flawlessly for 8 months then one day I got the dreaded electrical smell and about 3 days later it died. It is not in warranty and to send this back & forth to the USA for repair would cost more than the actual unit is worth. Fanatec have a stranglehold the middle market and they know it. They have some strange ways whereby they do not deliver on weekends and a lot of countries they do not deliver to period and their local delivary prices are sky high. Their customer service can be flaky at times. For instance for the 3rd and final time I have been trying to pre-order a DD2 since the start of the year and I am only considering this due to the 5 year warranty they offer and the connectivity to my other fanatec gear however.........

"I have been trying to work with Fanatec to buy a DD2 bundle for almost 6 months now however no such luck and the release dates keep getting pushed out. Yes I live in a country they do not ship to, which still baffles me in 2019 and it's been very difficult due their no weekend delivery service policy which also baffles me. My Aunty in the US who was going to order the bundle and then DHL them to me has two whole months off work in July & August so I asked Fanatec if I could pre-order the bundle and have it delivered to her anytime in those two months as she will be at home during the week to receive the goods. Their response was no, we can not guarantee a delivery date in that time frame At the time the bundle was due to be released at the end of May so it gave them 3 months to sort it and locally deliver it. So now the new release date has been pushed out to late August and my Aunt will go back to work and she works somewhere that she can not receive deliveries. Screwed and back to square one I don't get these companies sometimes... You try and give them 3,000 USD and they find endless excuses not to take it. They did not even try and I am a 3rd time returning customer however this means nothing to them"

Good luck

 

I jumped from a G25 to CSW V1, never had any issues. But, I recommend the formula rim for it only, not the gt. The v2 I later got has sufficient power to run with a gt rim. Never had a single issue with any, 3+years now on the csw v2. My 6year old csp v2 pedals does require some maintenance now and then, but else my fanatec gear has been great.

 

TBH I don't think I use as much torque as most people. I used to run my G27 at 35%, now I started running it at 50% which is pretty much the highest I can go before I get clipping, and to me that's more than enough. So considering that the V1 has pretty much double the torque from the G27 I don't see how that would be an issue. What I don't like is the fact that the formula rim is more or less the same diameter as the G27, which I always found a bit too little, and the McLaren wheel which is my favourite isn't compatible with the V1 base.