Racking with Leos

[butterballpython]

Update & need advice:

The rack had been on Craigslist for a month, and he was asking $450. I asked him if he'd take $400, and he said yes if I'd pick it up today, so off I went to Phoenix. It was quite warm in the vehicle because the AC quit. He told me he's off work today and can be home when I get there. At 1:00 I told him I could be there in about three hours. At 3:55 I was in Phoenix and almost to his exit when he told me he was going somewhere and would be back in a few minutes. I ended up waiting for him in a parking lot for over 45 minutes in a definitely-not-good neighborhood.

He brought the rack out on his front lawn with a dolly. It was not almost new, and covered with a thick layer of dust. He told me he'd been using it for his blue tongued skinks, and decided they needed more room. I asked to plug it in to see if it works. He said it works fine and he just unplugged it. We plugged it in. It does not work. It's marked AP (1960) and uses the 1960 tubs and a heat cable, not heat tape. After we plugged it in, we messed with it for nearly an hour and could not get it to heat. There is a section of cord that is flattened, and I mean really flattened and twisted, so I suspect the problem is there. I could probably try splicing that section since it's less than 2 inches, but do want it to be safe. It was very dusty and not working, and I was debating on whether to leave it and waste the 4 hour round trip and just buy a new 3 tier one for my three bp's for $299 or go with this one and try to get it working. I offered him $300 for it and he said OK. He also said he bought it from somebody else.

The rack came with 10 tubs, a Helix thermostat that he can't find the night drop for, and a dimmer on the side that can be used. Tomorrow I'll worry about getting it out of the 4Runner. It's a gecko feeding day and I still need to get that done.

Some months ago I picked up a wooden frame with wheels under it at a yard sale that should fit nicely under a CB70 rack.

Now I have this rack which should clean up nicely and no heat in it. I looked inside it and the heating cord snakes (no pun intended) back and forth and somehow it stays up along the sides. If I were to pull it out and replace it, if I can get a replacement cord, how would I get it to stay along the sides like that again? Some sort of adhesive? Would I need to switch to heat tape? Ideas that involve me using sharp objects to modify this thing to put heat tape down are not likely to happen. I'd like to replace the bad section of cord, and not just splice it, because I want it to be as safe as possible.

Thoughts? Ideas? Comments on whether I did bad/did good/have lost my mind/bought something beyond repair?

Many thanks.