As the economy slows, cash can be tight. But there are ways to save when looking for those electronic gadgets you may need.  In fact, according to US News & World Report, there are some electronics out there that are likely to be good buys even when used.

Plasma TV: If it turns on and displays a good picture, a plasma screen is unlikely to have major, hidden glitches, according to Mack Blakely, a longtime repairman and executive director of the National Electronics Service Dealers Association. But don’t get one that’s more than two years old, because the sets do wear out eventually. In fact, the earlier ones wear out more quickly than recent models do. US News says to study the screen to make sure it hasn’t suffered image “burn-in,” which can leave a permanent shadow from text or video game images.

LCD TV: Like plasmas, these sets don’t involve a lot of repair-prone parts. Study the screen to make sure that it doesn’t suffer from excessive dead pixels. A few aren’t unusual, but you don’t want them to interfere with your viewing, US News says.

Blu-ray DVD player: DVD players generally don’t make good buys in the used market. They have too many moving parts that suffer wear, including expensive lasers. But with new models costing $300 and up, a Blu-ray player might be tempting if it’s sold at a substantial discount and was bought less than a year ago, preferably six months or less.

Computer: Only relatively new PCs sold at a substantial discount might be tempting, but be sure to go with brand names to make sure manuals, support, and parts are readily available. And don’t buy desktops more than a year old or notebooks more than three months old. As with everything else on this list, you should visit the seller and make sure the device is working before committing to buy, US News says.

Flash-based MP3 player: US News says to consider newer iPods and competitors that use memory chips for storage, since these are much less likely to fail.  Just make sure that the LCD screen isn’t cracked, the USB port is clear and still working, and the device is otherwise functional.