your best score

[pigdoc]

I rarely start new threads, but I'm in a reminiscent mood.

Here's the challenge:
Describe your best "score" of a machine or a part in terms of quality, utility and price.

Here's my entry:
I was at an estate sale many years ago. At the beginning of the sale, there, on top of a wheelbarrow full of "scrap metal", was a prized piece. The auctioneer started shouting for bids on the entire wheelbarrow-full, and I stopped him and said, "Wait! Sell that one piece on top!". He did, and I got it. For $5. The piece? It was a chunk for a 1960s Chrysler 8-3/4" rear axle (-742) casting (the good one), with 3.91 gears, and with a Sure-Grip clutch-type diff in it! I've literally seen hundreds of these for sale at swap meets for $400+. That one I bought? Still lives in my 1966 Dart wagon. Eventually, I blew up the 3.91 gears. Now it has 3.55s in it. But, that's another story...

-Paul

 

[GeoHorn]

$100 for a 1903 Springfield with a 1918 Ordnance-marked Barrel (widow had asked a fellow-worker to get rid of the dead husbands’ stuff. I was offered the gun but didn’t want it….I was asked to make an offer….”any offer”. I offered $100. Man said “OK”.)
At the next show I was walking around with it when a dealer asked to look at it and asked me what I wanted for it. (I just wanted my money back..it was in very good condition but was a pre 600K SN, therefore not safe to shoot due to pre-hardened receivers.)

I told him to make me an offer. He suggested I pick something out on his table. I pointed to a New-in-the-Box Springfield Armory 1911 with accessories. (worth almost $1K)
He complained…then said “OK”.

My new son-in-law had a very happy Christmas.

 

[ken erickson]

I think my best score other than real estate was when I was shopping for a used small hand fed surface grinder.

I noticed a Ebay seller that had a Harig Super 612 listed with a starting price of $480. Harig surface grinders are very good quality. When I placed my bid I was the only bider and when I woke the next day I was surprised to see I had won it for the $480.

After driving the 100 miles to have it loaded and returned home with it I was shocked at how nice of condition this machine was. It came with a 12 inch magnetic chuck and when I opened the cabinet doors another surprise awaited me. It was chocked full of grinding wheel of different flavors, most had never been mounted, brand new wheel adapters still in the onion skin paper and boxes, spare repair parts and maintenance parts. The real shocker was a brand new in boxes set of spindle bearings. I just checked some bearing prices and this set of 3 bearings would cost me north of $1500 dollars today. Considering the grinding wheels, parts, spindle bearings the grinder cost me nothing!

The seller was one of those type sellers that had one out of focus picture and almost no description. I got lucky, it could have been only worth the price of scrape iron.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

743 Bobcat, 1 Heavy duty smooth bucket, 1 Heavy duty toothed bucket , forks and a trailer to haul it all.
Traded a 1947 Ford Ferguson tractor that was given to me for it.

 

[Fordtech86]

My Kubota .

The day we went in to sign the papers on our house/property the previous owner said before we start I got to give you this…passed over a bill of sale with a key attached to it. Sale was for $.01, the tractor, bush hog, disc, box blade, and 18 ft trailer. Tractor only had 12 hrs on it when I got it.

 

[Lil Foot]

My Kubota .

The day we went in to sign the papers on our house/property the previous owner said before we start I got to give you this…passed over a bill of sale with a key attached to it. Sale was for $.01, the tractor, bush hog, disc, box blade, and 18 ft trailer. Tractor only had 12 hrs on it when I got it.

I think you win!

 

[mcfarmall]

My Kubota .

The day we went in to sign the papers on our house/property the previous owner said before we start I got to give you this…passed over a bill of sale with a key attached to it. Sale was for $.01, the tractor, bush hog, disc, box blade, and 18 ft trailer. Tractor only had 12 hrs on it when I got it.

Winner winner chicken dinner!!!

 

[Lil Foot]

I've found a lot of great deals over the years, but this one comes to mind.
Years ago my wife's aunt & uncle were visiting and wanted to go to some mall over near Palm Springs.
I was bored and wandered into a pawn shop nearby, and started looking at machinist tools. The owner came over and tried to get me to buy a pile of tools, but I refused, knowing they would be to rich for my blood. He kept after me, and finally said he wanted the tools out and he would take almost any offer, as long as it was cash. I knew I had $325 in my pocket, so I offered him $300 just to shut him up.
He took it.
I got a new 1 1/2" adjustable reamer, new 24" Mitutoyo Digital calipers, used 12" Mitutoyo Dial calipers,
new 10" sine plate, used 12" Digi Chek height standard, new 4" watchmakers 3 jaw chuck, & something else I can't remember presently.
I sold the 12" Digi Chek for just over $2000.
I bought one with company money for my work shop for just over 12K.

 

[85Hokie]

My Kubota .

The day we went in to sign the papers on our house/property the previous owner said before we start I got to give you this…passed over a bill of sale with a key attached to it. Sale was for $.01, the tractor, bush hog, disc, box blade, and 18 ft trailer. Tractor only had 12 hrs on it when I got it.

Damn ......... you WIN - hands down

 

[ve9aa]

My TG1860 3cyl diesel garden tractor/mower. I bought it with 500hrs on it for $1200CDN (+ I traded in a beat n' thrashed Murray lawn mower which barely could get out of it's own way-probably worth $200 on a good day). I still have it--now with nearly 1000hrs on it.

At the time, TG1860's were selling for (IIRC) around $11k or maybe $12k new here in NB, Canada.(+ 15% tax!)_

The reason?

It had an issue with not wanting to start. The mechanics even warned me "not to buy it".

Eventually it let me down one night at dusk and the next day with a cup of coffee and multimeter in hand I had it fixed before my coffee got cold. Bad crimp on the 12v line going from the ignition switch to the solenoid. That was probably my best buy on a vehicle ever.

 

[D2Cat]

My Kubota .

The day we went in to sign the papers on our house/property the previous owner said before we start I got to give you this…passed over a bill of sale with a key attached to it. Sale was for $.01, the tractor, bush hog, disc, box blade, and 18 ft trailer. Tractor only had 12 hrs on it when I got it.

Did you pay him?

 

[hodge]

My fantastic wife, 3 children and 5 grandchildren that make me swell with pride.

 

[Fordtech86]

Did you pay him?

yes sir!

 

[85Hokie]

So....
I already had 3 kubotas....... DID not need another!

Guy was moving closer to his grand kids - from a gorgeous place on the lake. Had a very nice BX1850 for sale with FEL - about 450 hours. Add said $8500 ........ I looked at the ad for a week BEFORE asking a couple of questions.

He had backed into his wife's car..... ooopps. Did some good ol damage to the left rear plastic POS rear fender/light. AND used packing tap to hold it in place!

So - after chatting a bit - he said a couple of guys had said they were coming by that weekend........

SO I forgot about it ......... a week later, ad still up I shot him another text. I basically asked what he had to have for it. HE said I'll take $6,000. I told him - I'll see you in an hour!!!!

Got down to his place and loaded up and he said , hey, I got this vacuum ( self propelled with snout on front) and this aerator - you can have both of those too!!!

So talked a bit and left!

Sold the vacuum and aerator and came out to about $5600 total.

O - it has the ratchet rake on the front which in MHO is worth its weight in gold!!

Did I mention I stole a JEEP two weeks ago?

 

[NCL4701]

My best deal was my first car. A 1966 Chevelle Malibu station wagon with about 150,000 miles on it. Solid mechanicals but bad rust. Driving it home the wind coming up through the large hole in the floorboard by my feet was rather irritating so one of the first things I did to it was pop rivet a piece of scrap tin roofing over the hole. Fenders flapped in the wind because they were completely detached at the bottom by rust. Paid $350 for it. Put around $0 into it other than routine maintenance. Drove it until it had about 200,000 miles on it and sold it for $500.

Replaced it for $500 with a 1973 Dodge pickup with a 318 V8 that mostly ran on 6 cylinders and had a 3 speed automatic that was stuck in 2nd gear all the time and a slightly bent frame. My father told me if I could get it running right he’d pay for the parts in exchange for being able to use it whenever he wanted. About a month and another $500 or so in parts later it was running. Some time after I left home, he traded me a ragged old square body Caprice for it. He sold the truck for $1500 and replaced it with a new F150 35 years later.

The Caprice was replaced with a brand new company car and that’s the last time I drove a beater.

 

[Sparky Prep]

In 1996 I bought 3 standard sized lots on a dirt road in a no name county north of me for $1000 for all 3. I paid nearly no annual property tax on them for 20 years. in 2016, the road was paved and houses started going in left and right. I sold one for $100,000, one for $60,000, and one for $55,000. Not too shabby.

 

[Jsjac]

Not as good as Ford tec
I bought this for $300 dollars
It would not move backwards, I bought the parts to fix it for $65.
A month later I sold it
We already had a Ford 4000 tractor

 

[RCW]

I don’t think any of us can match @Fordtech86, and good for him!

We had a local hardware store that had a small concrete fish pool in the cellar.

Probably ‘60-70’s vintage. Before we moved here.

Owner had a billboard sign he put out front on the sidewalk.

Advertised his “indoor lake” and adults could fish for 25 cents, kids free. He also had a variety of bait and “colored mice.”

Place was a local landmark as I understand.

When contents were sold, I bought that billboard sign at auction for $1. Not great shape, but pretty darned good.

I loaned it to a friend to hang in his local restaurant for a few years.

Been offered $300 for it.

 

[ZTMAN]

Went to Tractor Supply looking for a Swisher Trailmower. They had one outside that had been there awhile. Badly faded. Price tag back then was $1,100. Asked the manager if they had any other ones. Told me he would sell me the faded one for $100. That mower provided 8 years of hard mowing at the camp.

 

[jyoutz]

My Kubota .

The day we went in to sign the papers on our house/property the previous owner said before we start I got to give you this…passed over a bill of sale with a key attached to it. Sale was for $.01, the tractor, bush hog, disc, box blade, and 18 ft trailer. Tractor only had 12 hrs on it when I got it.

You win the prize for best score.