Yeah, just painted. I personally LOVE my hardinge (CHNC) but be wary of the "rustoleoum-rebuild" it has the typical hallmarks of a poorly masked-off paint job. Expect the paint to be hiding lots of dirt.
Bring an indicator and a magnetic base. rotate the spindle by hand and check for runout. Run the lathe (spindle) under power for at least 15-30 minutes. feel for vibration and check to see if the spindle bearing areas get anything more than slightly warm.
it might be an excellent lathe, with a really sh**y paint job. I have bought several great machines with bad paint jobs.
If the seller does not want you to let the spindle get up to running temp, take your money elsewhere...
Take good photos and then tell the seller you want to think about it. Take the evening and study the photos. This will tell you if you want to buy the machine or not.
Nate.
Ann Arbor Meechigan