Buying Used via Intranet

[twhman]

I will be in the market shortly for a tractor, like maybe a used MF 375. On the Agco MF site they have a machine locator where you can search for a machine also I have been watching a couple used equipment trading sites. My question is if I find a tractor 1000 miles away how can I be certain I am recieving what is advertised without flying out to look at it myself (not sure how much of a guarantee of quality that that would be anyway). Are their individuals that you can hire locally to look at a machine and advise you? If so how do you find them? Or do you rely on the dealer to be honest and represent the machine fairly? I don't think pictures are really sufficient to tell if there are mechnical problems. Any opinions, suggestions, experiences would be appreciated.

 

[Stonewall]

I would only go that route if I needed a specific machine for a specific task or was a collector wanting a specific model and year machine. If you need a used utility tractor you can probably find just want you need with in 100 miles of your location. As far as "checking it out" prior to purchase you can find a mechanic or a neighbor who knows something about what you're looking at and take them along. If you have to "go long" to get what you need you can let your fingers walk through the yellow pages online for the remote location and probably find a mechanic willing to perform a mechanical assesment for a fee. Interview this person on the phone and make sure there you feel that you will get an unbiased opinion. Maybe look at a map and go a town or two "over" to guarantee some distance. I know a guy who had this done for a compact tractor on the west coast. He had the mechanic call him from the dealer and give him the thumbs up on a unit he was buying. He asked the guy to stick around while he made the final negotiations over the phone and once the deal was "done" he had the mechanic take a strike die and whack a couple of letters into the frame to guarantee the same unit showed up on the truck. Sounded like a huge hassle but he was happy with his tractor and has had good luck with it. Hope this helps.

 

[twhman]

I like the idea of marking the tractor prevents any subsituting of merchandise-I guess I lack faith but I could actually see that happening.

I have a dumb question do tractors have serial numbers on them?

 

[Stonewall]

Yes. All machinery that I can think of has a serial # on it somewhere. In the case of the used tractor from Japan the sn had non-arabic characters in it and the mechanic couldn't convey it to the buyer - hence the extra striking of #s. This is not true on all asian tractors and some come right out of the rice pattie with english stickers on them proclaiming 4WD or other atributes. Some even have english on the guages.

 

[tractorlet]

Commercially manufactured tractors, domestic or import, have serial numbers. Most are found in the heel area of the driving compatment, on the tranny hump, or on the outside side/frame rails beneath the engine. They are either stamped into the metal or on an embossed plate attached to these areas.

 

[RoyJackson]

Your profile doesn't mention where you live.

I agree completely with Stonewall. The internet isn't the proper venue to shop for any machine (unless it's local, a very specialized piece of equipment or antique). You really need to see the tractor, get on it to determine how it feels and drive it.
There are enough of these machines around that one doesn't have to go excessive distances to find a nice unit.
Buying, sight unseen, on the internet is too risky, IMHO. That includes the auction sites such as Ebay. Remember, <font color=red>caveat emptor</font color=red> applies to all sales.

 

[rozett]

With all due respect to the other respondents, I have had a very positive experience buying a tractor via the internet. I bought a one year old Cub Cadet 7360 (with FEL) for $13K from a John Deere dealer in Alabama and had it shipped up to New Hampshire. The entire transaction was a positive experience.

After considering many factors, the Cub 7360 was my tractor of choice. I was not in a hurry to get one, so I looked for 5 months on Ebay and Deere's MachineFinder.com before finding it. Called the dealer and chatted with the sales manager to get better description of the tractor and it's condition. I also checked out the dealer via BBB, etc. They even gave me name & number of the previous owner as a reference. Made sure that the sales agreement would cover me if I found some major issue.

The local dealer wanted $20k for a new one and I couldn't find any used Cubs in the area. I paid $13K plus $1k for shipping. I have never regretted any part of the transaction.

 

[dourobob]

<font color=blue>The internet isn't the proper venue to shop for any machine </font color=blue>

Again, with all due respect, I believe the internet is a wonderful tool to uses as part of the process in shopping for a tractor .. and for many other items as well. Using the web can produce leads that are probably not available through "local" contacts and can provide a wealth of information on "comparables" for both pricing and other features. I have found it particularly useful when negotiating prices on used equipment.

Now, that said, I believe there is certainly a "leap of faith" needed to actually buy without seeing and I'm not sure I could go that far.

I'm not a web freak but, I do think it is a great tool to research information, advice, experiences of others (just look at what happens on TBN) comparables etc.

The ultimate decision lies with the person forking over the $$$ but the I believe the internet can be really helpful in preparing for that event.

Bob

 

[Carl_NH]

twhman,

The internet can be used successfully to procure equipment if the proper steps are taken to insure the goods are as promised. I was looking for a particular car for my daughter a year ago and found one on e-bay that fit the bill. I bid and ended up winning the bid (no one else bid). Now, this surprised many that know me as I prefer to kick the tires, take a test drive, etc. before making any committment.

What I did I suggest all buyers do is write a bill of sale that includes reference to a checklist where the buyer and seller signoff to acknowledge condition. In my case it was a spreadsheet that covered about 50 items noting condition etc.. If any of these items was not as represented, the seller agreed repair or to pay return shipping and refund the $.

This resulted in seller putting in a new windshield, brakes and doing several things that otherwise would not have been addressed. So, at the end of the day I was pleased and would do it again.

Carl

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Roy,

Most of the semi tractors I've bought over the last year have been bought sight unseen. It's not uncommon or expecially problematic IF you go into it with the right mindset and expectations.

I assume the condition report I get is not going to be 100% accurate in listing any and all defects, damage and deficiencies. I assume I'm going to spend an absolute minimum of $1,000 and often closer to $2,000 over and above whatever I spend on tires and brakes to make the truck road ready. I assume there is no radio. I assume the fire extinguisher and safety triangles are gone. I assume it's going to need to be delettered, detailed, cleaned, and acid bathed.

Only one time did I buy one sight unseen and not take the truck. Sometime between the time the pictures had been taken & the condition report filed and the time my driver showed up to pick it up, the truck was hit. Hard. The driver called and told me the entire hood was just resting on the front end and the wheel looked as though it had been pushed back so I told him to leave it there and come on home. No big deal.