Anyone know if this studer a812 is in working condition?

[emptymesh]

Hello friends, a seller is offering this studer tape machine, he claims that its in working condition but i noticed the timer in the video isn't advancing, could this be due to it being in rewind or is there a problem with the timer? It looks like the machine is in pretty bad shape but he says its working?
This is a link to the video showing the timer:

http://imgur.com/a/skq5cXi

Thanks

 

[srs148]

hi there, unfortunately, it's incredibly difficult to diagnose these machines remotely with limited information, but assume the machine will require some level of refurbishment to operate reliably. From the limited video you provided, the machine does appear pretty dirty, which is not a great indicator of how well it was cared for or if it was stored properly when not in use. The reason the timer is not advancing is because there is no tape threaded, so the timer moving is not an indicator of an issue in and of itself. If you haven't already purchased it, ask for a video of it running, playing, and fast-winding with tape loaded onto it to get a better idea of how well it's running.