Tools, Sharpening and Power Machinery - Sliding Miter Saw???

I am about to install some stairs in my house and I need a sliding miter saw. I have small budget and a couple of questions. I have a friend’s father-in-law that has a dewalt that he wants to sell for $175 but he said that it was about 20-30 years old (he even said that it was green and not dewalt yellow). He says it works but I’m concerned about spending that much for such an old tool. I also noticed that HD had a new Ryobi 10" sliding miter saw for $200. I have a Dewalt reciprocating saw and it works great but I have never owned a Ryobi product. So what do you think the best option would be? Old Dewalt or new Ryobi. Thanks for any help. I’m going to post this in another thread to get some more views.

For that age, I'd be hesitant to buy the DeWalt as well. My boss has a Ryobi non-slider he likes fine but I have no personal experience with the brand.

Although I use a 12" Ridgid "motor over" cut off saw for tall moldings, I don't thing using a 10" sliding saw would be too bad, however, since most of your cuts won't be "tall", but wide. Ryobi makes a good product. The motors are their worst attribute, as I have a 10" Ryobi table saw in the morgue, now. I use mine every day, so having the motor go bad after 5 years is a given. Yours would probably last a lifetime.