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My kids are getting into piano and I'm looking for good upright under $2k. Someone in my area has a 2007 Kawai 506N in great aesthetic condition. It was last tuned about a year ago. Based on the SN it's built in Indonesia. It sounds like it was used in a church, but not heavily played.

The seller is asking $3200, which seems steep to me. From what I can gather, it should be possible to get a new one for close to $5k (from this thread : http://forum.pianoworld.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/3028284/buying-first-piano-kawai-506n.html)

What do you all think a fair price would be for this used Kawai? I was thinking $1200-1700. Does that seem reasonable?

Here is one data point to consider. Someone is asking slightly under $3K for a 2003 instrument.

https://www.pianomart.com/buy-a-piano/view?id=46785

But for $2k I think you should be able to get a decent used piano. Despair not!

Is this being sold by an individual or a dealer?

Just curious - did you read the entire article?
In that article I may have misquoted the SMP. It currently is $5,595. 71% of that would be a tad under $4K (before tax, delivery, tuning, etc.)

https://www.pianobuyer.com/brand/kawai/

The pianomart ad for a 2003 506N at slightly under $3K is by a dealer - so I would expect the price to be high.

You should ideally have the piano checked out by an independent piano technician to evaluate its overall condition. If the piano is in excellent shape, then $2K might be reasonable. If in good or fair condition, a lower offer might be justified.

Before anything else, welcome!
First, let me recommend that if you haven’t already done so, that you go to PianoBuyer.com. They have many useful articles related to purchasing a piano, and I think you will find a lot of valuable information there.
You are correct, this model of Kawai is one of their more cost-friendly models. The pandemic has made the piano market a little weird… high demand and low supply, so it is more of a seller’s market. That said, the SMP (or suggested maximum price) for a new Kawai 506n is $5600. You can often get something like 20% off this price, from a dealer, new, which would put a new instrument well under $5000.
The PianoBuyer website also has a depreciation table. That table indicates that for a 15 year old piano, you can expect the value to be 45-55% the value of a new piano of the same model, depending on the condition of the instrument. Using the SMP value (which is at the upper end of what to expect to pay), it seems like the 506N you are looking at is priced quite high, and especially high if this is a private sale (not through a dealer).
Also, there have been numerous threads about churches being particularly bad environments for pianos. So I would definitely be concerned about this, and would want an independent technician to inspect it before buying it. I don’t think that sellers are usually trying to be deceitful, but I think they often don’t know what the true condition of their instrument is. I think if your intention is to use the piano for your kids to learn, it is important to have a piano that is in good condition. If I were you, I’d pass on any piano that your technician feels is not in good to excellent condition.
I hope this helps, and good luck!

Thanks so much for the feedback. I've learned a ton by reading this forum and the Pianobuyer website over the last few weeks. I'm definitely going to have a technician give it a once over.

I found another piano in my price range this morning, and from everything I've read, this is one of the brands folks are more skeptical of. It's a Cline, made in Korea in 2003 by Young Chang.
It was last tuned a few years ago, but I checked and it was perfectly in tune. It also honestly sounds great . The seller is a serious musician, and he's asking $700 and said it was $6k in 2003, purchased from Colton Piano.

It's definitely appealing for the price point, assuming a technician gives it a thumbs up. Are there folks who think highly of these Korean made pianos, or am I safer paying 2-3x for the Kawai?

Both of the pianos I'm looking at are private sales (from Craigslist), not dealers. I agree that the Kawai is asking on the fairly high side. I'm going to see if the seller will consider closer to $1500, contingent on it checking out from a technician.

IMO if you like how it sounds, that removes the main objection against Young Chang pianos. If your kids are beginners, it should do the job and gives them a runway towards wanting an upgrade themselves. Longevity shouldn't be a concern considering it's already 18 years old and still in good shape.

This would be identical to the Young Chang "Gold Series" verticals built at the time. I owned a slightly higher end 2002 Weber baby grand also built by Young Chang in Korea, and it was fine.

Just because a piano sounds like it is perfectly in tune, doesn't mean it is in tune. It is most likely in tune with itself (which is a good thing), but is probably a candidate for a pitch raise. A piano tech will be able to advise you about that.

The fact that the guy is a serious musician and the piano met his needs is also a good sign. Colton Piano in San Jose or Santa Ana?

The difference in quality between a 2003 Korean built Young Chang and 2007 Indonesian built, bottom of the line Kawai is going to be negligible. Both would be considered medium quality consumer grade instruments. The $700 asking price for the Cline is very appealing. Factor in the tech evaluation, professional moving cost and a couple of tunings and you will probably be looking at around $1,200 total.

I helped a friend buy a 1-year used 506N that was on consignment at a local dealer for $3100 including delivery and a tuning. I think she got a good deal, but the one you're looking at is definitely overpriced!

Haha, this reminds me of sitcom episodes where they have a garage sale and the items have exorbitant prices because the owner couldn't let go.

At the end of the day a sale only happens if the price the buyer is willing to pay matches the price at which the seller is willing to part with the piano. With a private seller there could be an added factor of sentimental value.