Re: buying a tractor

Subject: Re: Re: buying a tractor

Comments:
: : I'm feeling a little sheepish right now, and wonder how the pro's would have done it: : : I bought a Ford 821 (like an 841) a few weeks ago. I checked out the brakes, hydraulic lift, started it : : a couple of times, drove it in each gear. I checked out all the gauges, tire tread, looked : : for leaks and stains from all the fluids. I made an offer that was in the ball park and : : negotiated to closure. When I got it home, I found that the transmission oil was half water, : : so was the hydraulic oil. The rear end was dry. Overall, I am still a happy camper. Nothing : : is beyond repair and a little TLC will make this a good tractor. Still, I feel like I was : : victim of someone unloading a machine with problems. What should I have done differently to : : protect myself? : 1. Never buy the first day you get your eye on something. : 2. Don't let a salesman know you're excited about making a deal. : 3. Make contact with a mechanic who has worked on that model, and have him look it over after hours with you, to give you an idea on immediate needs and labor involved in repairs. : 4. Get an idea on cost of parts for repairs and availability of them. : 5. Make an offer in your favor, and hit the salesman with the needed cost of repairs, to let him think of giving up some $ to close a deal. : 6. Get the tractor tested on a dyno and be there for the display of performance. : 7. When you have doubt of maintenance being done on time, figure the cost of hyd. trans. oil & filters, and eng. service into your side of a just deal. : 8. Consider renting or leasing a tractor for a short time; wherein, your fee will be fully used as a payment towards your full cost of the tractor, when you may decide to purchase it. : 9. Move out of dreamland, during your shopping, but move back in after making a good deal!

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