If you decide to invest in a piece of cardio equipment, hopefully you have realistic expectations. Simply buying equipment is only guaranteed to make your wallet lighter.
Before you start shopping you need to know a few things:
1.) How coordinated are you? If you are really uncoordinated you might be best off with something simple like a exercise bike, or a treadmill, rather than an elliptical machine.
2.) How much money do you have to spend? Less than $500? Go for an exercyle. YOu can get a quality one for not a lot of money. OR shop the paper for a high quality slightly used piece of equipment.
3.) How much room do you have? The space saving treadmills are nice, but may not be as sturdy as ones that don't fold up.
Basic options that I have owned at some point in time:
Airwalker (you know the handles and peddles that slide back and forth in the air on a curve.) - I liked it, I used it quite a bit, it was easy on my joints, but it fell apart in a matter of months.
Those things you sit on and pull the handles and push the pedals - turned into a coat hanger after 1 use. It hurt my back. (Got a health rider from a garage sale for $10. I overpaid.)
Ski Machine - Nordic Track. Don't buy cheap if you go this route. I had a low end plastic version that didn't wear well. Then I found a high end one for $35.00 at a garage sale. I liked it some, I used it some. It took coordination. I had a hard time getting comfortable on it. I eventually gave it to my Dad, who has had one and used it for about ten years. He loves his, so I gave him mine for spare parts.
Exercycle - never bought one. My mom has one and loves it, I prefer weight bearing exercises. I have used them in the gym, and it is not hard to find a good one at a low cost.
Elliptical machine - Have one. Love it. Look to spend around $800 for a decent one new. I will write a complete article on that later this week.
Treadmill - my favorite machine. I have had two. I burned out the first one. I burned out three motors in less than a year. I got it from sears, and on this I bought the extended warranty. They gave me store credit to buy a new one, and I bought another one for about twice the price. I really love this one, and it is holding up great so far (About 130 miles in the last couple of months) I will go into detail for what to shop for on these tomorrow. Look to spend over $1000 for a good one new.
