PA Mixer issues and questions

[atomiser]

I have a Fender Passport P250 that's gone into “Protect” mode, meaning it won't work at all. It seems like it would cost me $45 to even get an estimate of how expensive the repairs would be. A knowledgeable sound guy I talked to on the phone (after calling around quite a bit) said that, based on his experience (both in general and with that particular model), he would guess it's going to require replacing parts that cost $200 or more.

If it would really cost me over $200 to fix, I'm not sure it's worth doing, considering I could buy a different powered mixer for around that much or a bit more.

Two local possibilities I've been considering are a used Behringer PMP2000 for around $250 or a used Yamaha EMX68S for a little under $300. Both are supposedly minimally used and “like new.” Or, for about a $100 more than the discontinued EMX68S, I could buy a brand new Yamaha EMX212S, the model that took its place.

Should I bother spending money on an estimate of fixing the Passport, or do you think it's likely to be a waste?
Any opinions on which of the above-mentioned replacements would be the best way to go?
Is buying a used powered mixer asking for trouble, even if it supposedly hasn't seen much use?
Any other stereo powered mixers that you've had a good experience with in the $250-400 price range?

Thanks for the advice...

[meatballfulton]

The Passport is a toy compared to the others you mentioned.

Yamaha stuff is good sounding and reliable, I would go with that over a Behringer. I have used both for years in bar bands (i.e. abused!!!) and the Behringer stuff has had issues over time...dying channels, funky noises, etc.

[wildpaws]

The Passport is a toy compared to the others you mentioned.

Yamaha stuff is good sounding and reliable, I would go with that over a Behringer. I have used both for years in bar bands (i.e. abused!!!) and the Behringer stuff has had issues over time...dying channels, funky noises, etc.

I would agree, all of the Yamaha audio gear I have (mixers, amps, speakers, etc.) have performed flawlessly over the last twenty years that I've used them. I would also be inclined to stay away from Mackie as my experiences with them for the PA system at the church I go to has been not very good. I can't even play a synth or DP through them without terrible noises due to the "protection circuit" built into the Mackie powered monitors. The same synths and DPs sound perfect through my twenty year old Yamaha mixer, amp, and speakers. The reason 85% of my home studio is Yamaha gear is because of it's reliability (and it sounds good!).
Clyde