Question about a refurbished Zenith 50" Class 1080p Plasma

[The Crimson King]

I've been looking to buy my 1st HDTV, and found a good one in my price range, a Zenith 50" Class 1080p Plasma from Sears.com for $550. That's the only plasma I can find around my price range that's in 1080p (I'd be happy with a cleaper 42" plasma 1080p, but apparently they don't make them in 1080p).

The problem is that they are out of stock online. I found 1 that's being sold "refurbished" from a store 30 minutes away from me. I'm going to call them to ask about the details, but I'm assuming it was a floor model before. My question is: has anyone else bought floor model tvs with good results? Is it a terrible idea to buy a used item that may have been a floor model? Does that take away too much of it's "shelf life?" Any answers would be most welcome, thanks.