A dealer has quoted you a Ricoh MP machine at a price that looks noticeably better than everything else on your desk. Before you sign, there is one thing you should know that the quote will not say: the MP line is Ricoh's previous generation. The current range is the IM series. That is not automatically a problem, but it changes what a fair price looks like and what you need to check.
MP machines are still widely leased, mostly as certified refurbished or remaining new stock, and for the right buyer they are a genuinely good deal. Here is what they cost and how to tell a bargain from a machine you will regret.
What MP Series Machines Lease For
Because most MP units on the market now are refurbished or clearance, pricing sits well below current generation equivalents. Typical monthly payments on a 36 to 60 month term:
An MP class color machine at 25 to 30 pages per minute runs roughly $89 to $175 a month. The comparable current IM model would be about $135 to $250, so you are looking at a 25 to 35 percent saving.
Mid volume color at 35 to 45 pages per minute lands at about $155 to $290 a month, against roughly $220 to $390 for the current equivalent.
Higher volume color at 55 to 75 pages per minute is roughly $290 to $520, against about $400 to $700 new generation.
Monochrome MP machines are cheaper still, frequently $65 to $185 a month depending on speed, and they represent some of the best value in office equipment right now because demand for mono only devices has fallen while plenty of good hardware remains in circulation.
Click rates on MP machines should be the same as on current models, roughly $0.008 to $0.013 black and $0.055 to $0.085 color. If a dealer quotes a higher click rate because the machine is older, push back. Older hardware does not cost the dealer more per page to run, and a low base payment paired with an inflated click rate is the oldest trick in this business. Our IM series pricing guide gives you the current generation numbers to compare against.
What You Give Up Versus the Current Line
Be clear eyed about the differences, because most of them are software rather than mechanical.
The control panel on IM machines is faster and more modern. MP panels work fine but feel dated, and menu navigation takes more taps. If staff usability is a priority, this is a real consideration.
Cloud and workflow integration is the bigger gap. IM machines have better native connections to modern document platforms and more current app support. If your workflow depends on scanning directly into a specific cloud system, verify that the exact MP model supports it before signing rather than assuming.
Security firmware is the one to check carefully. Ask for the model's firmware support status and whether Ricoh is still issuing security updates for it. A machine that no longer receives firmware updates sits on your network holding document images, and some IT policies will not permit that. This question has a definite answer and any competent dealer can get it for you.
Energy consumption on newer machines is modestly better. Over five years that is real money at scale but small on a single device.
What you do not give up is print quality or core mechanical reliability. Ricoh MP machines were well built, and a low meter refurbished unit that has been properly reconditioned will typically outlast the lease without drama. See our comparison of remanufactured versus new copier leases for the general case.
The Questions That Decide Whether This Is a Good Deal
Four things, and you should have written answers on all of them before signing.
What is the meter reading on the machine? This is the single most important number. An MP unit with 40,000 lifetime pages on a device rated for millions is barely used. One with 900,000 is near the end of its economic life regardless of how it looks. Ask for the current counter and get it in writing on the delivery paperwork.
What was replaced during reconditioning? A properly certified refurbished machine has had drums, developer, fusers and feed rollers replaced or verified. A machine that was wiped down and given a new outer panel has not. Ask for the reconditioning report.
How long will parts be available for this model? Ricoh, like every manufacturer, supports models for a defined period after production ends. Ask for that date. If parts support ends in year three of a five year lease, that is a genuine problem and it should either change your model choice or produce a written commitment from the dealer to stock what you need. Our piece on downtime guarantees covers how to write that protection into the contract.
Is the service coverage identical to a new machine? It should be. Some dealers quietly offer reduced coverage on older equipment. Get the same all inclusive terms you would demand on a new unit, or the discount is not a discount.
Who Should Buy an MP Machine
This is a good fit if your printing is straightforward, meaning documents rather than graphics work, if your volume is stable and predictable, if your IT requirements are modest, and if you are price sensitive enough that saving $60 to $120 a month materially matters.
It is a poor fit if you need current cloud workflow integration, if you operate under a security policy that requires actively supported firmware, if your volume is growing fast enough that you may need to change machines mid term, or if the lease term you are being offered runs past the model's parts support horizon.
The clearest case for an MP machine is a second device: a backup unit for a busy office, or a machine for a satellite location that prints modestly. Paying full current generation price for a device that runs 2,000 pages a month makes little sense, and this is exactly where the value shows.
What Most Guides Miss
Nearly every article about refurbished copiers frames the decision as new versus used, and tells you to check the meter. Both true, both incomplete. The thing that actually determines whether an MP lease works out is the mismatch between the lease term and the machine's remaining supported life, and almost nobody checks it.
Here is the trap. Dealers quote refurbished machines on long terms because that is what makes the monthly payment attractive. A 60 month lease on a machine that is already four years old means you are contracted to that hardware until it is nine years old. Parts support may well have ended by then, and a machine you cannot get parts for is a machine that stops working with no remedy, while you keep paying the finance company every month regardless.
The fix is simple and almost never volunteered: match the term to the hardware. Take a 36 month lease on a refurbished machine even though the monthly payment is higher, because at 36 months you are still comfortably inside the support window and you keep the option to move. The monthly difference between a 36 and a 60 month term on a $155 machine is roughly $60 to $85. That is the price of not being stuck, and on used equipment it is worth paying.
The second thing worth knowing: because these machines are moving out of dealer inventory, your negotiating position is stronger than usual. A refurbished unit sitting in a warehouse is costing the dealer money every month. If you ask for a shorter term, a lower click rate, or free delivery and installation, you are far more likely to get it here than on a new machine with a manufacturer set price floor. Ask for all three.
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