Deal or not?

JJZ 109 · Aug 22, 2012

Not being very familiar with Bobcat pricing, especially for used I thought I'd ask opinions on this unit for sale locally:

2005 Bobcat Skid Steer

I know that there are probably many variables, such as how hard the hours were, etc. Thanks for any insights.

sierradmax · Aug 22, 2012

Just looking at the pictures, three tires are bald, one of those three has a substantial tear. Four new tires/rims filled will be $2000 at least. The 709 is a nice piece to have but it looks like the cylinder mounting point in the last picture is starting to bend the plate. I did this with mine and had to repair. No cutting edge on the bucket- hard to tell how much "meat" is left. Also, no pictures of the engine bay. I'd say market value of the attachments is around $7000-$9000 putting the machine at $13-$15k. I would go look at it and see if there's slop in any of the pivot points, if there's any grease, and if the machine leaks fluids. If everythings tight and no leaks, cosmetics are easy fixes but try and use the tires as a negotiating tactic.

JJZ 109 · Aug 22, 2012

Thanks for the pointers. That's the type of tips that I was looking for. I also wonder why 10 gallons of Bobcat hydraulic fluid and 5 gallons of Cat oil come with the machine.

sierradmax · Aug 22, 2012

Bobcat Hyd. fluid comes in 5 gallon cases (2x 2.5 gallon jugs). These kubota engines usually take 2 gallons with an oil change. Also, the 709 hoses rub against the frame constantly (while pivoting the hoe) and overtime, they burst. I carry a jug of hyd. fluid in my truck for this purpose.

I dug up a picture of when I broke my 709...

JJZ 109 · Aug 24, 2012

The thing was listed back on Aug. 5, so I don't know if it's still available or not. I emailed with a few questions so we'll see where it goes. If he gets back to me and it doesn't sound like a disaster I'll go take a look at it.
I have a friend who works at the local Bobcat place, maybe he can give me an idea of what that machine with attachments is worth. Looking at some different websites, the prices for bare machine seem to vary widely.

JJZ 109 · Aug 27, 2012

I'm supposed to get a look at the machine shown in the first post on Friday.
Here is another that I may look at if it's still available after I've seen the first: S185 Bobcat Skid-Steer Loader
I stopped by the local Bobcat place and asked my friend for some assistance today. He was familiar with both machines as they sold them new. He's saying that that if they're in any kind of decent shape the prices are fair. Of course I don't plan on offering the asking price! :dollarsign:

sierradmax · Aug 27, 2012

Good luck with your purchase. The 2nd one sounds nice. In todays market, CASH is KING....

JJZ 109 · Aug 27, 2012

Thanks Mr. Dmax. The second one sure does sound nicer and my friend at Bobcat says it hasn't been misused. However, I'm trying to get the best of all worlds so I'm also going to look at the machine with all the attachments. At the very least I'll need a snowblower. The hoe would just be a nice luxury. But I suppose the sale of some tractor implements could finance a new blower. My guy at Bobcat tells me a new one is about $4k.

JJZ 109 · Aug 28, 2012

Went and looked at the machine noted in post #6 tonight. Pretty nice. Had a chat with my guy at the local Bobcat dealer today and he said that even at asking price it was a nice deal for that particular machine as it was well cared for and not abused.
Long story short, deposit put down. Ball rolling on the transaction.