I've never played bass in my life, but I found this article:

http://www.brucerichardsonmusic.com/Used_Bass_Tips.html

I can't vouch for how complete or true it is, the only thing I can say is that most of the things he mentions are applicable to guitars as well and from my meager personal experience I concur with what he's saying.

Secondly: I've mentioned this before in your introduction thread, but it's worth repeating. For the love of Hendrix, take someone along who knows his way around bass guitars. This goes triple when buying secondhand. A lot of things such as action, neck relief, tone and a myriad of other instrument related characteristics which define whether an instrument is "good" or not are not apparent to a beginner no matter how well you do your research. Merely being able to tell whether a (bass) guitar will be adequate for someone's needs takes some experience. Seeing as you've never played an instrument in your life before (as stated in your intro thread) you are simply not equipped to do this right now, so don't set yourself up for A) being saddled up with an instrument that you'll hate in 3 months time or B) being taken for a ride by someone that will unscrupulously take advantage of a newbie.
I'm really not trying to be condescending (Lawd knows I have no right to be anyhow) but that's just the way it is right now.

EDIT: Removed quote from mistaken post by Mr. Ratcliffe.

Also... PLAY IT ? You have to enjoy the instrument before you take it home! It has to speak to you otherwise it won't be fun for you...
I bought my bass on a whim (for R800 who wouldn't pass up the chance) and while its been great, I did find that the previous owner had messed up the wiring and ripped out the active/passive push pull switch.... But we learn from our (and other people's) mistakes! ?

Good link above.

If you are going for a reputable brand such as those you mentioned, they are pretty damn durable guitars, so even if it's beaten up, as long as there is nothing obviously wrong, it should be OK. So plug in and play it, make sure the tuners turn, the pickups all work, etc.

I do like the Artisan series from Cort, which turn up real cheaply secondhand, but the Action series are good too - just more basic (ahem ?).

You might be able to score a used Fender MIJ Jazz or Precision as well... if you spot one, nab it!

As Alan said, Corts, Ibanezes etc. are almost unbreakable. Anything that has been done in terms of bad setup can generally be fixed. I would recommend a four string bass to start, and long/standard scale (34 inch) over a short scale (although many, including Paul McCartney, might argue with this).

the tips about the neck in the link are worth considering. looking down the neck from the bridge, make sure the neck is not twisted (frets should be parallel)- this is one of the things that can't be fixed

http://gabaptist.hubpages.com/hub/Best-Cheap-Bass-Guitars-for-Beginners

Got this website while surfing... Do you agree with this?

Well, first note they are talking about basses up to $500, Which equates to about R5K here. Our beginners tend to be aiming quite a bit lower price wise.

Secondly, there are different brands/models in different countries - for instance, they don't have Cort in the US and we don't see many Deans in the shops here (and the ones we see tend to be the spiky guitar-type things).

Just my 2c worth...

THe Ibanez Gio range have had many issues with quality in my experience, and should most likely be avoided, but they may well have addressed these issues by now? All the other Ibanezi are great basses for the money. The SR series has a very slim neck that is fast to play on, but will make moving to a different bass in the future a bit of a challenge.

The Cort Artisans are also similarly slim, but not quite as slim, although they feel to me like the string spacing's are slightly closer together than the Ibanez SR's (paradox I know).

The best value for money in the Cort range of basses IMO is the T series. They are more of a classic design in terms of spacing and feel, and have a great tonal flexibility. They are not too expensive, especially for the T-34 (last price I saw was around R4k I think?). Its a great bass, and I considered getting the T35 (5 string version) as a backup for myself.

Yamaha's are also pretty consistant, but don't really tend to 'shine' until you get to the more expensive models. You'd find a much more acceptable Cort or Ibanez for less money than a Yamaha.

Other than Cort and Ibanez, there isn't a lot of 'decent' choice at the lower end of the scale, but if you manage to find a Schecter going cheap, they are also good. They just tend to be quite scarce down this end of the world.

In terms of being able to help you look at your options though, a rough idea of your budget you're looking at will help.

As for keeping an eye out, the neck is always the first thing to check. Look for excessive bend which will also be highlighted by the height of the strings from the board.... Hold the string down on the first fret, and last fret (or 15th) and look to see if there is a huge gap around the 10th to 12th frets.... If there is a large gap, take the truss rod cover off, and check that the truss rod nut has not been threaded or stripped. I have had one or two basses in my time where this has been a problem.

The next thing to look out for, as mentioned, is a twisted neck. Look down the profile of the low E side of the neck, along the edge of the fretboard, and note any high spots, or low spots. This will also make seeing how much bend is on the neck easier.... Then look down the high G edge of the neck and follow the line of those frets. They should look virtually the same, but sometimes if the neck is wharped, you will see one side of the neck looks more curved than the other side. If thats the case, walk away!

Right... Off to bed... If I think of anything more, I'll add tomorrow... If I'm just repeating what was said in the links, then I apologise... I didin't have time to read them tonight.

Regards
G!