Toller wrote:

98% of the crosscutting I do (depending on the size with my CMS, crosscut
TS sled, or with a guide and a circular saw) is 90 degrees in both
directions.

I understand that RAS can be fussy to set up, but if set up properly will
they do decent 90 degree cuts? Or are they just inherently inaccurate? I
don't mind spending an extra 10 minutes on the rare occasion I want to do
something more exotic; especially since it would take much longer to do it
now (at least on stuff bigger than my CMS).

I have my eye on a 2 year old craftsman that was barely used. Sure would
be nice to be able to do 16" crosscuts without a lot of fuss; but if it
won't be accurate, then it would just be a waste of room and money.

A RAS will make that 90 degree cut without a problem, assuming it's not a
worn out piece of junk. There are three areas you need to check out.
First, is the arm physically damaged? If damaged, the saw head probably
will not roll smoothly or straight. This sort of damage would be difficult
to hide.

Second, worn bearings. This will show up as slop in the motor head in -any-
dimension. For a two year old saw, this definitely should not be an issue,
unless the bearings were never adjusted properly in the first place.

Third, slop in the positive stops. Some designs are better than others, and
sometimes the slop can be worked around. Again, for a two year old saw,
this -really- should never be a problem. If there's slop in the stops,
avoid that saw, and probably all saws of that model.

You may have to build your own table, which is not a major undertaking, as
the ones shipped with most saws are garbage.

A RAS, once set up, won't need much more maintenance than any other saw.
Maybe just an annual check to make sure everything is still square. I
personally prefer them, because I can see where the cut is going better
than a table saw. It also makes a half-decent jointer of large pieces of
wood, and I've never had a problem ripping on one.

As you can tell from the other responses in this thread, it's more of a
preference than anything else. I do nearly all of my saw work on a RAS.
--
Michael White "To protect people from the effects of folly is to
fill the world with fools." -Herbert Spencer