I've been searching craigslist and have stumbled on to, what seem like, some pretty good deals on Zildjian K & K Custom cymbals.  I just found a brilliant 20" K custom ride from the mid-90's for $150 that would probably be $320 + tax new from GC.  I've seen similar cymbals advertised for that price that are less than a couple years old.  Aside from visible damage and stick marks, is there any reason not to buy a 15 year old Zildjian K (or any other high end cymbal, for that matter)?

Thank you for any feedback!

Yeah, other than visible damage, I can't think of any reason not to!

Just make sure you go listen to them before you commit!

Damage to the mounting hole in the center of the cymbal.  The hole will look irregular/elongated - not perfectly round (shaped like an old fashioned keyhole).  This happens when the cymbal is improperly mounted - no protective sleeve on the threaded post - and played over time.  The threaded post digs into the hole and wears it out of round.

odds are the older rides will be very cool. on the other hand, check any crashes very carefully. someone has been, well, crashing them for years. the odds of cracks, metal fatigue and excess wear in general will be higher ...

on the other hand, i recently picked up an old zildjian a custom 8 inch splash. it was a little bent out of shape, but i put two rivets in it and it now sounds like a fantastic crash cymbal.

Just a couple days ago I went down the basement and set up my old Slingerland set. Then I spotted an old cymbal bag I hadn't opened in many years. I opened it and pulled out an entire set of Zildjian's that I had forgot about when I started using Paiste's. I set them up on my old stands and they sounded wonderful. I opened another old case and there was an Atlas snare stand and an old Ludwig Speed pedal. I sat there and played and thought, "What was I thinking? This stuff is great." Nope, age doesn't matter sound does.