I was talked into a tankless heater my my contractor who turned out to be horrible. He pushed it really hard so I'm pretty sure he got a commission/kickback. After two years it pooped out. The only guy in the area who sounds like he has really worked on these things is quoting $300 just to check it out. More if it's "a larger problem".

I've never been happy since the contractor put in "point of use" rather than one big enough to take a decent shower with.

So... I'm considering putting in a lowboy, which cost around $300 from Lowe's here in Northern California. I've been told the conversion is "quite easy" which I hope means cheap. Maybe a couple of hundred dollars?

Not sure which way to go. Thoughts?

What brand is the tankless? They aren't all created equal, and you can get reviews online these days that are very helpful before buying another.
Some people love tankless, some don't. They do cost more to begin with too (and a good one should).
I'm not a plumber and won't guess on plumbing costs, but many good ones are here and will be answering soon.

I had an AquaStar installed in 1984 that worked great. The plumber had never seen one before. A lot has changed in 27 years.

Not really interested in a new one. It's more a question of "To fix or not to fix". Will most tankless heaters keep breaking down and/or is it cheaper in the long run to replace?

Takagi Jr. to the make, by the way.

Thanks!

You have not told us what it is not doing. There is little really that can go wrong. Most have low water or low pressure shut offs. Gas burners. So tell us more about them