Canon Digital IXUS 500 reliability

Hi chaps, I got hold of a Canon Digital IXUS 500 underwater housing and am now looking for a used Canon Digital IXUS 500 camera to go in it ... looking on the auction site there are dozens for sale but 90% are 'broken - for parts only' ... is this camera worth buying or is it rubbish ? Many thanks for your time ... Roger (I snorkel on only a few occasions a year so it's not going to get a lot of use .. though I could use it as a PAS on holiday)

Well, the IXUS 500/PowerShot S500 is a 2004 camera. I imagine that most people who still have one, still use it. I suspect that most people will buy a camera and stay with it until they have to replace it; people who are going to replace a working camera are looking for the added features (be they MP, video, card capacity or the like) newer cameras offer, and those upgrades will come after a year or two, not after 7-8 years. So I wouldn't have too much hope for finding a working Ixus 500 on eBay or Craig's List. Your best hope would probably be to place a "Want to Buy" ad locally or on-line.

Thanks Jon ...