does anyone have any experience with the model 200??
should it be avoided at all costs, or is it ok but just limited in performance???

I found some old facts from an email sent to me several years ago on the different versions:

The B version was modified to have an Academy 35mm mask to allow more zoom lenses to work i.e. except for the newest versions, most 35mm cine zooms did not cover Super35.

The change between 2002.B and 2002.C was that they introduced a new
electronics board that regulated voltage to the ground glass motor,
allowing it to maintain speed no matter what the battery did.

Hope this helps,
Dennis