"Steve" wrote in message ...

There's no way to predict, you can only play the odds that a new one will
last longer and require less maintenance than a used one. My advice - buy a
used one that passes a bench check. In the future when you have a job and
can afford it, replace with a new one if it craps out.

Or you can just go transponderless for a while, nothing wrong with that if
you can accept its limitations.

Thanks for your reply. I would like to fly without the transponder,
but my airport is in a class B airspace, so I am grounded till I get
something running. Steve