Pay Good Price or holdout for a 'Steal'

[MMH]

Found a decent tractor (a 2150 w/ FEL & MMM) at a dealer for $8500. Based on tractor house & other references this seems like a decent price. Not a steal, but definitely a good deal. Debating if I should hold out for a steal from craiglist, estate auction, etc. Been looking at Craigslist & seen some decent prices, but no steals. Have not made it to an auction to see what the tractors go for.

So, am I being impatient? Should I move forward w/ the 'good price'? Or, hold out & eventually the 'steal' will come along. My fear is that the 'steal' is like a lottery - maybe it will happen, but don't count on it. BTW, I have some work that I can start with now...

 

[JoeinTX]

If it were me, I would take the good price you think you have now and be done with it. What "2150" is it? J.D. or Kubota or ???

I'm not the kind to hunt forever looking for the "steal." If the price is right and I can afford it, then I go ahead and do it. See one a month later $1k less than you paid and there's not much you can do about it. No reason to wring your hands or worry yourself.

You can find a deal on CL and I've bought plenty of stuff there but you can also get taken and lied to. I've never had a positive view of tractor auctions-too many people send their problems there with new tires and paint hoping someone will take it off of their hands.

And if you do have work lined-up and waiting on you (again, this is me) then I'd be getting the good deal and getting it to work paying for itself.

 

[MMH]

If it were me, I would take the good price you think you have now and be done with it. What "2150" is it? J.D. or Kubota or ???

I'm not the kind to hunt forever looking for the "steal." If the price is right and I can afford it, then I go ahead and do it. See one a month later $1k less than you paid and there's not much you can do about it. No reason to wring your hands or worry yourself.

You can find a deal on CL and I've bought plenty of stuff there but you can also get taken and lied to. I've never had a positive view of tractor auctions-too many people send their problems there with new tires and paint hoping someone will take it off of their hands.

And if you do have work lined-up and waiting on you (again, this is me) then I'd be getting the good deal and getting it to work paying for itself.

It's a Kubota B2150. Philosophically I agree w/ what you are saying. It's just that the $$$ are tight. Hoping for something for nothing I guess, but know better.

 

[JoeinTX]

Wait, wait, wait.......either you have the money or you don't. Period. This is the problem here.

If you've got it and know what you want to do and know what you can earn...........do it. If any of those things are in question then there's a problem.

What is it?

 

[Yandaddy1110]

If your not so sure that "this is the one"then dont buy it,use your instincts. Be patient, the right tractor will come soon enough. A stack of 90 100 dollar bills has alot of purchase power in these times.
Are you brand specific?
Are you willing to travel?
Do you need both a loader and mmm?
I waited and the right Kubota found its way to me.
How long has that dealer had the B2150? If its a good deal, someone would have snatched it up by now.

 

[TripleR]

For me at least, life is too darned short to obsess on things like this. If I can afford it, I take the good deal and get the use out of it.

 

[om21braz]

Holding out for a "good deal" had me looking for several years. I concluded from folks here that (1) get what you want/need to start with and (2) be prepared to pay a good price for a good machine. Good luck in your search!

 

[Gary Fowler]

If you have priced out all the models that fit your needs and this one is a "good deal" as you say and you are positively sure that this one fits your original idea of need, then I would work on the dealer to get his absolute bottom dollar price and go for it. Just make sure that you arent letting low $$$$ make your decision for you. Also, Are you also sure that you want a mid-mount mower. They reduce your ground clearance to almost zero. I am sure that this 1997-98 tractor doesnt have a really quick dismount for the mower like the new JD's. If it were me, it would go for a rear mount finish mower so I could take it on and off easily when doing work that might need a few more inches of clearance like when working in muddy soils.

 

[jinman]

Found a decent tractor (a 2150 w/ FEL & MMM) at a dealer for $8500. Based on tractor house & other references this seems like a decent price. Not a steal, but definitely a good deal.

My experience is that it is always good to negotiate a price. If the dealer is asking $8500 and that is a good price, then you might offer $7950 to $8000 to see if he will take it. Don't do that if you don't have the money ready to take the deal if he says okay. If you can't take his deal, that will just make him angry that you've wasted his time with a meaningless offer. Perhaps also negotiate for a 30 or 90 day return warranty or some level of service like the next fluid/filter change.

I recently bought a New Holland LB75B TLB. The dealer asked $22,500 for that tractor, and I asked him if he could make me a better deal. He said if I would take the tractor "as-is" he would shave off some of the price. When he said that, I asked if that meant he would fix everything wrong with the tractor and deliver it to me work-ready for the $22,500 price. He said that was what he would do. In the end, he did about $4000 or more repair work on that tractor and I got a good working tractor while he got a cash sale with no haggle. I know you said money was tight, but if you can scrape it together and see your way clear, now is a great time to be making a tractor deal. :thumbsup:

 

[Porkie]

Every time I wait, the situation changes and prices go up! I research things to death and then try to make a good decision.

Gasoline and diesel: Everytime I see the price down low, I hesitate (If I don't need fuel) and everytime, the price goes up immediately! Gas was $2.40 for 87 oct about two weeks ago. A day later it was $2.75 and two days later it was $2.89. Of course, I needed gas when it was $2.89.

Many times when I have bought a new car or pickup and thought I made a great deal, I read in the newspaper that they are selling the same vehicle for 0% interest! Happens every time!

If the economy rebounds then things will become more expensive. If it stagnates or moves into a depression, then things will go down but most of us wouldn't buy then anyway.

If YOU DON"T REALLY need the tractor, then wait for that magical deal. In this economy, the margins are so low to retailers that they can't afford to lower prices much more and pay the light bills!

Sam

 

[Gary Fowler]

It looks like the US dollar is falling in value everyday as compared to the Asian markets so that means our imports are going to get more expensive. This also likely means that used tractors are going to increase also. NOW is the time to buy if you want something. It is just going to get more expensive. Less and less folks will be able to buy and profit per unit will have to go up so everything will be more costly. JUST MY OPINION and I didnt sleep in a Holiday Inn last night.

 

[fredhargis]

In my experience, the "steals" appear to be triggered only if I've already bought whatever it is that I'm after. At least that's the way it seems to be.

 

[scoutcub]

I personally love to hold out for a "steal". To me, shopping around is half the fun.
The only snag with that is you said you could start using it now.....

Guess I would shop around for killer deal. You'll know it when you see it. There's plenty of equipment out there for sale.....

 

[crazyal]

You're not buying a hole in the ground. The tractor will have value even after you buy it. If a better deal comes along you have the option of selling yours and upgrading. It's not as easy as just waiting but you will have a tractor to do the work, not thinking about what you could do with a tractor. The best thing is once you have one you will then get a much better idea what needs you really have and may find that great deal you are waiting for on the tractor you think is right turns out to be someone in the same boat as you and now finds what he thought was right isn't as right as he thought and now he's also upgrading.

 

[Reverend Blair]

Take the good deal. My experience with "steals" is that I end up getting stolen from. Things are ultra-cheap for a reason, and usually that reason is that there's a serious problem. I'd rather get something decent for a good price than something pre-broken for a "steal" price.

 

[WayneB]

Wondering if you know the year of the tractor? From what I can tell the B2150's were introduced in the 1990 time frame. Not that it makes a big deal, but if it is then you are looking at something that is around 20 years old?

Not known too much about what you are going to use the tractor for I would think you could find something just a bit new for the same money, say something from the early 2000 time.

Just my thoghts.

Wayne