Good deal on an L3010?

[aelb771]

Hi everyone, I was hoping for some help with determining if something is a good deal or not. Someone I know from work is selling a Kubota L3010 with 890 hours on it for $14,000. I don’t know the year, and neither does the seller. He’s the second owner (he’s had it for 5 years). He’s moving to Florida and is trying to sell all his things. I’m out of town right now so I haven’t seen the tractor in person, but will do so next week. It comes with a 72 inch finish mower, a box blade, and a grader blade. He says that it’s been dealer maintained at the local dealership in town. I’ve attached some photos. This would be my first tractor, and I’ve done a lot of research over the last few months but still have a lot to learn. I have a small property, 1.5 acres, and really just need it to do some grading work in my yard, move a lot of dirt around, and probably do odd jobs here and there in the future. The finish mower is too big for my needs, so I’d probably end up trying to sell it.
The alternative is buying a brand new BX2680, and I attached a quote I got for that. Thanks so much for your time.

 

[airbiscuit]

I own a L3010 GST. It is a great tractor. It will run circles around a BX 2680. Around here they go for $12k with a loader and 2000 plus hours, The attachments are worth about $2,000.

.... Upon further review, it looks like I am living in the olden days. There are several listings on Tractorhouse @ $14k - $18k.

 

[jimh406]

I think that's a fair deal, but it is 20+ years old since they were made from 1998-2002. The hrs aren't bad if it's been maintained. New attachments are expensive if you can even find them.

TractorData.com Kubota L3010 tractor information

www.tractordata.com

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Yes the price is good / Fair.
That's a 20+ year old tractor and it's a big tractor when compared to the BX.
If you want more of a small versatile tractor that will mow, you probably should look at the BX.
If you want a tractor to do some serious work and less mowing then look at the L.
One down fall to that L is it's not an SSQA already, so your stuck with just a bucket without altering it.
Where the BX is SSQA so you can swap the bucket quickly to do other tasks like fork lift items, grapple, snow blade, many, many, more.

 

[number two]

Is it an HST?
Hard to tell,but I think it looks like one from the right side view.
That would help the price.
Good Luck!
And then there is the rear remote as well.

 

[JimmyJazz]

You would be better off buying a new one. You will have warranty and possibly low or no interest financing also as a benefit. The smaller new tractor should work well enough. I was in a similar boat last year at this time and bought a new B2601 for my 2 1/2 acre suburban yard. Love it. My entire life prior to this was spent wrenching on older equipment. There is a lot to like about buying new. Many people on this forum have the ability to diagnose and fix problems effortlessly. Thats not me. I enjoy turning the key now and not having to worry about something needing fixed. I think you will too. Good luck.

 

[aelb771]

Thanks for all of the replies. Yes I was disappointed that it wasn’t an ssqa. Realistically I would probably be fine with just having the bucket on it. I have a riding mower that I’m probably going to continue to use for mowing, so the tractor would just be for getting other work done. Yes it is an HST.
I don’t think that I’m going to put too many hours on it, and in the back of my mind I was hoping that if all my projects are done in a few years I could sell it for close to what I paid for it. I’m assuming that’s much more likely with the L3010 than with the brand new BX.
I’m a little nervous about the fact that it’s 20+ years old. The last thing I’d want is for something to break, and then have a costly repair on my hands. I was thinking about calling the dealership to see if they’d tell me anything about the service history, potential problems, etc.
What are some things I should look for when I see it in person?

 

[D2Cat]

You just have to flip a coin and live with the results.

The hours are not high, and you could go the the local dealer and discover it's service record. However, you don't want the mower and the loader is a permanent attachment, so that's a negative. You already have something to mow with... Price is probably fair if you needed all the implements, but you'd be in the same position as your co-worker... trying to sell something you can't use as soon as you bought it.

Someone saying they don't need a quick attach loader is like someone saying they don''t need AC or prefer a black and white 15" TV. You won't get the full use of that tractor without it, and you won't realize it until you have SSQT.

Don't buy something just because it's for sale! It better be a REAL GOOD deal, or meet definite needs or you will have buyer's remorse.

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, oh what a Christmas this would be!

 

[aelb771]

Haha, can’t argue with that
Maybe I’ll see if he can sweeten the deal when I go to see it in person next week, I’ll keep you guys posted!

 

[SteveBX23]

Good looking machine. My vote is the L30 over a BX, not sure they even compare. These tractors will last a long, long time, and 890 hours on a 20 year old machine is not high at all. If maintenance records check out, that'd be a good buy in my eyes. Good luck

 

[aelb771]

Thank you! Appreciate the feedback.

 

[jimh406]

I agree the BX is absolutely tiny compare to an L. That might be a good or bad thing depending on your uses.

 

[fried1765]

You just have to flip a coin and live with the results.

The hours are not high, and you could go the the local dealer and discover it's service record. However, you don't want the mower and the loader is a permanent attachment, so that's a negative. You already have something to mow with... Price is probably fair if you needed all the implements, but you'd be in the same position as your co-worker... trying to sell something you can't use as soon as you bought it.

Someone saying they don't need a quick attach loader is like someone saying they don''t need AC or prefer a black and white 15" TV. You won't get the full use of that tractor without it, and you won't realize it until you have SSQT.

Don't buy something just because it's for sale! It better be a REAL GOOD deal, or meet definite needs or you will have buyer's remorse.

If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, oh what a Christmas this would be!

"You won't get the full use of that tractor without it"

The OP states that he will be keeping his riding mower.
What is the "full use" he would be missing out on?

I would submit that the larger L3010 will provide more options for use, because it is a larger/stronger machine.
Not many folks have ever expressed regret about buying a more capable tractor.

My only (remote) concern would be parts availability in another 10 years, though I have a 71 year old Ford that I can still buy parts for, and a 33 year old Ford 1920 (Shibaura) that has not presented parts problems to date.