Totally agree, but because treadmills are kind of temperamental as much as the joint damage angle. I run at least once a week outside, but at the gym do the elliptical machine and have one at my home (which doesn't get used much) I burned through two treadmills when wife and I started living together that were the $500 type in three years. A friend of mine owns a "Play it Again Sports" and we got a Precor that was about $2800 new for about $1K+/-.