Resale value

[RSKY]

I am looking to buy a tractor sometime this summer. I started looking used but what I can find in my original price range is not in very good shape. A less than ten year old Kubota, Deere, etc. in good shape seems to bring more than it cost new. My question is, if any of you have sold a Kubota recently, what model was it and what did you get for it?

 

[bp fick]

So much depends on local micro market conditions, not all areas are the same. Patience is a virtue. The people who lose a job, or must take a transfer, etc, are most likely to take a larger hit, making it a better deal for you. Keep looking, CraigsLook is a good tool. Just wade through all the scam garbage. No phone number, and "shipped from ____" is the give away, along with the too low price.

When a tractor sells new for $15000 it just looks expensive at $10000 a few years later. Sometimes it is just the perspective of the buyer who expected to see 50% off. Those kind of deals are indeed rare. Many first time buyers think $4-5 K ought to get them a sharp machine. In reality, that's quite difficult. So, what's your "original price range"?

 

[poldies4]

BP is spot on. I searched literally for years, not believing that a ten year old tractor was only a few thousand off new. I thought exactly $5000 would buy a nice scut. In the first two years I found one, Yanmar with loader 200 miles away for 5 grand. Didn't have the cash at the time, so the next few years I found out that lightning generally doesn't strike twice. Never found another at that price point that wasn't home made. My wife, in her infinite wisdom said, and I quote "if you are going to spend ten on a used one, I'd rather have you spend twelve new and get the warranty". I am indeed a lucky man. I hope to see a thread soon that you found the deal of a lifetime. Good luck!!

 

[bp fick]

Yup, when first going used tractor shopping we have to re-train our thinking with the mentality often shaped by years of used car buying. Think of it this way.

Since a tractor lasts twice as long as a car, thus it depreciates only half as fast. Makes sense, right? (in actuality, it is closer to factor 3)

Thus, our mentality needs to be that the used tractor is twice as expensive to thought process conditioned to think in terms of auto depreciation. It's that simple. Once your mind gets wrapped around tractors, not cars, one kind of adjusts one's expectations to the reality and comes into better focus. It can be rather deflating at first.

 

[Arky217]

I also agree with BP; to get a good buy used, it takes patience and staying on top of whatever sources you're using, Craigs list, local papers, etc.

I looked for 6 months for a used tractor, and then spent another six months pricing new while still looking for used.

I came within a cats whisker of buying new when I caught a Craigs list ad the day it came out.
The tractor was 100 miles away, but I had researched enough by then to know it was what I was looking for and seemed to be a good buy as well.

What I got was a Kubota L4200, 45hp, shuttle shift, 4WD, LA680 loader, R4 tires, 2 remotes, with 700 hrs, for the price of $8000.

Certainly not new, but about 1/3 the price of an equivalent new one.

Here's a link to some pics I posted of the 4200.

 

[TripleR]

I agree with all of the above, or you can do what I did and go shopping for an entirely new different model and trip over one just traded in:thumbsup:

Seriously, good used tractors are at a premium in our area and you will find no "bargains". I paid a fair price for mine, but it sure was no steal as the dealer knew if I didn't buy it, it would be in someone elses barn/shed in a day or two.

 

[crazyal]

My advice, if you're like me, is buy new now. Don't wait, just buy. I started off looking for a good used B7800 with lowish hours for $10k. Three years later the waffling got the best of me and now I have a 4240 with a front mount blower on order for $32k. Maybe I'm not a good example, unless it's of what not to do.

Every good used tractor I found was either sold or too far away. All the time looking gave me more time to read up and seat time on friends tractors and a couple of dealer demo days. Of course that lead to "for a few dollars more I could also do this". It's a disease I tell you. That of course lead to looking a new class of used tractors.

Honestly I'm not sure why used prices are as high as they are. With 0% financing on a new tractors vs. 7% or more for used it quickly makes a couple of thousand in price difference not really worth it when you figure in the finance charge and the hour difference.

 

[TripleR]

My advice, if you're like me, is buy new now. Don't wait, just buy. I started off looking for a good used B7800 with lowish hours for $10k. Three years later the waffling got the best of me and now I have a 4240 with a front mount blower on order for $32k. Maybe I'm not a good example, unless it's of what not to do.

Every good used tractor I found was either sold or too far away. All the time looking gave me more time to read up and seat time on friends tractors and a couple of dealer demo days. Of course that lead to "for a few dollars more I could also do this". It's a disease I tell you. That of course lead to looking a new class of used tractors.

Honestly I'm not sure why used prices are as high as they are. With 0% financing on a new tractors vs. 7% or more for used it quickly makes a couple of thousand in price difference not really worth it when you figure in the finance charge and the hour difference.

No, oftentimes, it doesn't make a lot of sense. It "can" make sense if you pay cash and find the right tractor quickly. If I hadn't found this one, I was going to order a new one and go with the 0% financing. I sure couldn't stand to wait years.

Of course there will be a difference if a person "needs" a tractor or merely "wants" one. I "wanted" my first Kubota and took years deciding what to buy, but I "needed" my last one and did not have the luxury of taking the time to find the right model for the best price, I just "lucked" into it.

 

[FlyingDutchman]

I jumped on a BX 24 a couple of years ago. It had 57 hours on it, had wheel weights, buckets forks and a block heater for $14,5. The best quote I had prior to that for a new one was $16,5 plus tax.

 

[thetooth]

the used tractor market is tough . i am looking at a 10 year old B7500 ( 500 hours ) with a FEL/mower right now for $9000.00 . that's only $4000.00 or $5000.00 less then when it was new . but to find a comparable new tractor i am in the $14000.00 to $17000.00 range . i am also checking out a used 2009 BX for 12500.00 ( 100 hours ) .

so is it better to buy new ?

it all comes done to what you are comfortable with budget wise . when i first started looking at tractors i was looking at new ones . so i started with the BX series then for only $1000.00 more i could get into the B series , but the best value in the B series the sales man said is the B2620 which is only $1000.00 more than the B2320 , but hold on i was looking at that cheaper one !

it's defintely a tough choice to find a good balance of budget and value . you could always wait to next year to buy this years models a little bit cheaper . but then with price increase are you really saving :confused2: .

hopefully i will be able to figure out what it is i expect from the tractor and my budget .

I will give a big thank you to Brady Barlow for all his help . He is being a huge help in my search for a tractor that will fit my needs which are ever changing

 

[RBrown]

I just traded in my first Kubota and had it appraised so that I wouldn't get taken by the dealer. It was 10 years old, B2710 with loader and 72 in. mid mower and had about 600 hours on it. It was in perfect condition with no leaks or repair issues and was garage kept and freshly waxed. The appraisal said it was worth $11,000 and the dealer gave me almost $12,000 for it. But, he already had a buyer and gave me little more due to the shape it was in. In the end, I think he sold it for $13,500 but it was sold before it hit his lot. I talked with the new owner and he had been looking for over a year! I could of sold it myself but the dealer had the tractor I wanted on the lot and it was too fast of a deal to sell the old one myself. My wife also made it clear that I had to get rid of the old one before the new one arrived. Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[poldies4]

It seems like largely the question is how much use, and what type of use. For me, I seem to fall into the average, my BX is used when I have time. I wish that was everyday, but it isn't. If one can expect say 1000 ish hours trouble free, that for me would be almost fifteen years of use. So for an additional few thousand dollars I assume that my tractors life should be twice that of a machine with 500 hours on it. My tractors life is only relative to me and the time I own it. While I was shopping I found a nice JD for 8700 dollars. Comarable to my 1860, 900 hours but it was owned by a rental company. Anyone who paid, qualified or not got to operate/abuse that machine. One never knows what a used machine is hiding. My experience was that unless the spread from new to used widens considerably go new. The waranty/dealer support is worth it Also the additional investment now will set you up better in five years if you decide to trade/sell. Say 300 hrs vs 900 hrs.

 

[TripleR]

It seems like largely the question is how much use, and what type of use. For me, I seem to fall into the average, my BX is used when I have time. I wish that was everyday, but it isn't. If one can expect say 1000 ish hours trouble free, that for me would be almost fifteen years of use. So for an additional few thousand dollars I assume that my tractors life should be twice that of a machine with 500 hours on it. My tractors life is only relative to me and the time I own it. While I was shopping I found a nice JD for 8700 dollars. Comarable to my 1860, 900 hours but it was owned by a rental company. Anyone who paid, qualified or not got to operate/abuse that machine. One never knows what a used machine is hiding. My experience was that unless the spread from new to used widens considerably go new. The waranty/dealer support is worth it Also the additional investment now will set you up better in five years if you decide to trade/sell. Say 300 hrs vs 900 hrs.

Good advice and the reason I buy new unless I have the machine checked by a mechanic or I know the history. My last one was seven years old with 700 hours and it was used solely to run a rotary cutter and was bought new where I bought it with a complete maintenance record of which I got copies.

1000 hours may seem like a lot to some people, but I have tractors with thousands of hours and no plans to replace.

 

[newbury]

You've got to be able to adjust your needs/wants/wallet/time in a complex equation and strike like lightning.
The OP seems to have left the barn. Without telling us his variables.
Right now there is a 10yr old Kubota B2100 HSD for $5200 in Leesburg, Va.

on CL.

Won't last long.

/edit - this one does not look like a scam, but could be.

 

[93Mustang]

I too have been struggling to get a handle on resale values. Have been looking for a few months, trying to decide between new or used. Being somewhat of a numbers guy I built a basic pricing spreadsheet for used tractors based on pricing I have been getting for the same model new(I can get a little impatient when I want something and find having an "objective" source is helpful at keeping me in check.) I built in a "cash" discount to normalize against buying a new B series tractor with the 60 month 0% and a warranty by employing what I think is a very conservative interest rate as well as a subjective "depreciation" factor which I adjust based on how old/hours/type of use etc. Needless to say I have found my intial attemps at a "depreciation" factor have been woefully high based on what I can imply from what I see online/ebay etc and from a couple of offers that I have made (one of which I was basically laughed at).

I have also tried to apply this to prior models using pricing on this site from TBNers over the years for varios models which I can reasonably compare to the "new version" such as a 2910 vs 3030. I have been getting surprisingly low implied depreciation values for B series tractors (at least to someone who has recently starting looking at these things and having only a used car vs. new car reference point).

 

[ModMech]

Right now, with 0% in nearly every color, I see no reason to even look at used. That is, unless you need a 75+ HP tractor and have only $8k to spend, then you will be entirely in the USED (well used) market.