The old saying "you get what you pay for" applies. I bought an elliptical machine about two months ago. I was considering one of the 100-150 dollar models of course but after doing extensive research and reading hundreds of reviews i ended up going with the schwinn model for 500 bucks. All in all it was worth it. If you buy a cheap exercise machine you're going to get a cheap exercise machine that will last an extremely short amount of time. I would pass on the cheap stuff.