It seems to be in decent condition, And I wouldn't be scared of it at that price...However... Odds of that degauss coil needing adjustment are about zero, and either the seller is fibbing you or has little experience with repair (Gotta ask yourself why didn't he fix it then if he is so knowledgeable?, And why didn't he try selling that at Zapcon since it was right there?), My guess the monitor is tired, and he knows it ,may last awhile or possibly not. But do not mention any of this to him if you want it, Just let him give his sales pitch and then If you want it a little cheaper, with the power off look at the screen and if you can see the game image (screen burn) Point at that and say dude WTF, How can I fix that? (you cant but normally its not really a big deal, less is better)... And offer him $850... Good luck man, first game is always very exciting! But get right on it fast, cause games don't usually just sit around, someone will most certainty snatch it up at that listed price.