Buying Advice Yanmar 1510 D

[tums20]

Just got roughly 2 acres to landscape and garden
Looking at a Yanmar 1510D with tiller, scraper box, and loader. They are asking $6,500

Tractor started right up and sounded good.....
It was on the small side but tiller looked like it was a good size for my needs and having a small front loader would be nice

This price seem acceptable on the left coast?

He said he rebuilt the steering column and it is the JD green, not red like most pictures I have found

Anything to look for? Common issues?
Hour meter shows 700 but I know that could easily be 2700 since only 3 places

Thanks

 

[woolyAcres]

You may get more comments by posting in the Yanmar specific forum. There are a number of super helpful fellows over there and they know these old tractors in and out.

I'm new to the Yanmar owner's group having bought a YM240D a few months ago. It's the first tractor I've ever purchased though I've been around tractors for a long time. My experience is they are very well built and very durable. Mine was clearly well used but it still runs well provided I don't over do it. I'm used to larger tractors but this is what I could afford. I paid $2300 for mine so I'd say your price seems a bit high. Though the condition of mine certainly brought down the value some.

Having a front loader is super handy and I really think it's worth having. Once you have one you'll find all sorts of uses for it. I wouldn't overvalue the box scraper. Around here they are pretty easy to get for only a few hundred bucks. I don't know much about tillers but I wouldn't think it's worth more than a $1000. Where I am I think a 1510D in good shape with loader would get something like $4000. Add in the tiller and box blade and I'd think $5500 or less.

Do you have any photos? When I posted photos of the one I was considering I got lots of helpful comments- from likely year to the front tires being mounted backwards. Gave me some knowledge and bargaining leverage when I went to go see/buy it.

Too bad you weren't shopping a bit earlier this summer. A fellow on here had a YM186- a really nice machine- for sale. I think he ended up selling it for around $2000. Although not normally recommended for cost reasons, you could have added a loader if you'd wanted and still been under $4000. And the 186 is a nicer machine in my opinion.

Depending on how eager you are to buy, I'd keep looking, or offer $4000 and see where it goes. But to me $6500 is too much.