Find out what's wrong with it. No one sells an ATR like that for $220 unless there is something wrong with it, or unless they are an idiot...or a widow.
The rack alone is worth $150 on e-bay. It sells from TASCAM I think for $300. Don't quote me on that one.
Here is a shop rate from Allied Electronics in St. Louis. They are an authorised TASCAM repair depot:
$50 bucks to walk in the door, and $60 per hour after that. He said it takes roughly 3-4 hours to go through one of these machines. And that is NOT including very expensive parts, though they are all available from TASCAM.
If you can have it serviced for no more that what it would cost for a machine that would cost you $500-$600, I'd say go for it. Hey the rack is great for moving around a project studio, The remote will cost about $100 to eliminate this mobility.
Keep in mind those were only labor rates I quoted. A head stack is quite expensive. A pinch roller will run you $40.00.
These machines are very expensive to maintain. Try to get the best one you can for the money.
I'm not saying that they are always breaking down, because they aren't. When they do though, it can be expensive to track down a fault if you don't have a schematic and are not a technician.
The DBX DX-4D units are excellent. There is no tape hiss on playback with this system. Unless you're a bat or a dog you won't hear anything. Hell, those alone are worth the price too, but you may not have anything to use them on if your tape deck is tits-up.
Let us know what you decide? What is the auction number? I swear I won't bid on it.
PM me if you want. I'd really like to see this descriptiojn.