Condition of used tractors

[therrien]

When I recieved estimates on landscaping I allmost passed out, so I figured I'd do it myself. I figured I'd pick up an old Ford 8 or 9n like my father had when I was a kid and go to work, was I surprized. After realizing the ford would be to big for my property(trees), I started looking at compacts.$$$$$
Then I started looking at used compacts, and was surprized at the value they held. I looked at so many that were beat, abuzed, negleted and still getting high prices I started to get pretty disapointed. Some of these compacts looked like they rolled down mountain sides, had barely any paint left on them and had fluid spraying (not leaking) out of every seal they had and still were selling.
After having allmost given up I called an add and a woman answered. I said I was calling about the tractor and she said,
" oh you mean his baby",/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif= I had to see this one. I drove 2 hours to see this tractor and am so glad I did.
It was a B1700 hst 1996 or 97 This was in 99
90 hours
4672 backhoe
r4 tires
It was like new, the gentleman appologized for the 2 marks on the rims that he touched up and grease around all the pins, but a friend told him he should grease it every day before use. He bought it for the same reason I was looking for it for. He said he spread a whole 20 Yards of loam.The asking price was $ 17,900 more than I could afford. Normally I would try to find flaws to bring the price down but there were none, and he told me everything he knew to be wrong with it (nothing). I told him it was more than I could afford and he said to make him an offer, then said he had his bottom line written on a piece of paper in his pocket. I told him the most I could offer would be 15K and thats what his paper had written on it. This was the best investment that I have made. I can never be without a tractor again.


Doug T B1700 TLB

 

[Muhammad]

Great find, Doug! There are those very rare cases that you'll find someone actually selling a well maintained, almost-new compact. I always say, to buy it when you have the chance because chances are you won't find a comparable tractor on the used market.

Keep it in the condition you bought it in, and you'll see that value hold up as well...

 

[therrien]

Muhammad
The return on the tractor, if I ever sell it, will definetly be better than the stock market.

Doug T B1700 TLB

 

[Youare]

Doug,
I know what you are saying. I looked at compact tractors for many years before buying one. My brother has been a mechanic at the local New Holland dealership for close to 10 years. I asked him to keep an eye out for a good buy on a good used compact, there has not been one all this time.

Like you I have seen many tractors that looked like they have been through a war commanding high prices. This summer I looked at a 16 year old tractor with 1200 hours on it that needed new rear tires. It was a trade in tractor. It was in the shop because it had a blown head gasket which the dealer would fix. It came with a 30 day 50/50 warrantee. They wanted $500.00 more for the tractor than it sold for new 16 years ago.

My question was what would this tractor be worth in another 15 years, was I buying it at the pinicle of it's value and it's all down hill from here? I decide to spend the money on a new one and have the best years of it's life.

You got one of those once in a life time deals, you will always be able to get what you paid for it back if you take as good of care of it as the previous owner.

Randy