Newbie looking for GZ250.

[scotmick]

My name is Don and I have just joined this Forum in anticipation of buying one of these beauties. I am a 76 year old Grandfather who hasn't ridden in 35 years and is itching to get back in the saddle. My preliminary research leads me to believe that this is the bike to do it with.

I am looking at a 2005 GZ250 with 2253 miles on it and cosmetically it's like new. The asking price is $1,500. When I got on it, the owner told me it was missing fifth gear; When i shifted into first gear and just rolled around the parking lot and then tried to shift it into neutral at a stop, it was a struggle. It took 6/7 attempts for it to go into neutral. It shifted into second ok, but getting it into neutral was a struggle. Obviously, something "ain't right"! I figure it is probably a tranny problem seeing that it doesn't have fifth gear, so the question is, is it worth buying for $500 to $700 and get it repaired, or should I run "like hell" and find another.

Any input is appreciated.