Bought a 2007 Kawasaki Mule 3010 in 2014. Engine needed some work. Seized. Guy wanted it gone, I paid him $300 for it. That's all he wanted. Took it home, put a bearing in the block, polished the crank, put 2 brake cables on it, serviced it all up and kept it a while. Then in Sept I had a shop building put up on my place. I had my friend bring over a load of gravel for the driveway to the shop.
Later that year on veteran's day (which was on Monday, and I was off on Mondays), I was laying in the bed and seen a craigslist ad, "wanted kawasaki mule". I didn't use it all that much so I called the number and spoke with a guy. He said he was interested, and asked what I wanted for it. Told him I didn't know what the market value was. He said he did old tractors for a hobby, said load it up and bring it and see if we can trade an old tractor for it. Ok cool. Loaded the mule up, headed over there. About an hours' drive from the house. I know that area as my old coworker lived not too far away.
I get there, unload, let him drive it around. He had a bummed leg from his stay in Afghanistan (military). He liked it, flat floorboard, easy to get into/out of, will do exactly what he wants. Guy says come on out back and take a look at tractors he's working on. And this is where it gets interesting.
He had a Ford 3000 diesel, 3000 gas, 8N, 2N, a couple of old Harry Ferguson's, Case of unknown model, IH of unknown model, a New Holland and another one that I didn't recognize. They were just tractors. No loaders, no implements. Sitting to the side by itself was a Massey-Ferguson 1145. Loader installed. I asked about that one, he said yeah I'll trade you that one but here's the deal. It's not an 1145. It's an 1140, but with an 1145 engine. The 1140 is 30hp 3 cyl iseki. The 1145 tractor is almost identical except it is turbocharged, iseki 3 cylinder and 35hp. The issues that he knew it had were that the home-made intercooler (they were non-intercooled factory) had some holy welds in the tubing, some of the linkages were seized and/or stiff, and it didn't have power steering. Oh boy, loader? No power steering? Jeez...I ain't a fan already. Guy says sure I'll trade the mule for the tractor. I wasn't that hesitant, but I did tell him that I only had maybe $450 in the mule. He said he didn't care, he needed a Mule, I needed a tractor. So I traded straight across. Drove it onto the trailer, hauled it home. Got it home and moved the gravel with no power steering. Boy that'll make a man out of you! AFter I got through I parked the tractor in the shop and started looking it over. Had to pull the dash apart and free up the clutch and brake pedal linkages. No big deal. Got to looking and it has a tandem hydraulic pump, rear pump has a line that goes to the back of the tractor like normal. Front has a line that runs up by the battery. What? Pulled the grill out and up front by the battrey is a tank. Nothing in it. I dumped some old UDT into it and it ran out of the bottom as fast as I put it in. On the bottom is a suction hose from the tank to the pump, it was dry cracked so I made a new one out of a piece of old oil cooler hose I had laying around, I think it came from an RTV1100 or something. Dumped more oil in, fired the engine up, power steering.
So I got a tractor, with loader, and it runs/drives, and to this day I have not done a single thing to it (not even the used battery it came with), for about $450. Granted it is NOT pretty but it is what I needed, and a disabled vet got what he needed. I felt like we both did good.
1992, the salesman at work (I had just started that job and was there til 2020), said "you wanna buy a car"? Well what kind where is it can I look at it and how much???? 1975 Ford Maverick. $50. Sister owns it, I don't know much about it. Yea I bought it. Still have it too.
Started dating a lady in 2012 I think it was. I drove to her place about 3 days a week after work. On the way there (and back) was a little independent car repair place. In the lot, I knew there was a silver Mustang sitting there, seen it many times before and for the 3 years we dated, every time I went past I seen that car. I had a gut feeling, ya know, stop by and ask about it. It's been there for 5 or so years. I stopped in one day, said hey what's the deal with that silver 1993 Mustang? Guy says "4 cylinder 5 speed needs a motor, it's for sale, $250 with title". Told him ok, I'll go get the trailer, I'll pay you and take the title now and I'll just come back after hours to load it. Guy was fine with it, signed it over and I picked it up. Titanium Frost, looked really good other than being weathered. Coupe (not hatchback). Black cloth interior. 2.3L. I bought 2 junkyard engines from a guy I know for $150, one was out of a 92 Mustang convertible, the other out of a turbocoupe (both 2.3). I sold the TC engine for $400, put the convertible engine into the silver 1993, and drove it for 148,000 miles until I sold it.
2009 I had a small bass boat, I liked it. But it was too big to use on the creek. Sold it to a coworker and was going to figure out what to do later, since I didn't use it all that much, and my friend had a flat bottom that I could use about anytime. Found a ad on CL, guy in Fort Smith had a 1542 Grumman with a 25hp Yamaha 4 stroke. I was not a fan of 4 stroke, but the price was right ($1400 complete), so I made the 3 hour trip, bought it, took it home. I liked it but it was a riveted boat, and I was constantly bucking the rivets to keep them from leaking. The motor was sweet-I loved it! A year later I got tired of the boat, and ordered a new war eagle 1548 from where I worked (with trailer). While waiting for it to show up I sold the grumman for exactly $4 less than what the new one cost--and kept the motor (and a few other things). I still have it, but sold the motor in 2018 because a guy at the river wanted it bad ($2700!!), and I bought a new one at work, 25hp, but 50lb lighter weight and EFI. Still have it.
I wish I could find those kinds of deals now. I'm eyballing one at work, but I don't think I can get it cheap enough to justify it. 2017 Polaris RZR XP4 1000. Kinda been wantin one but I ain't spending new coin on it. I just can't justify the cost of a new one.
