Finally bagged one. 84 Liquifire 40 miles away

69camaro · Post by **69camaro** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 1:15 am

I am officially the proud owner of a very nice clean and great running 84 Liquifire.

And only 40 miles from home.

Now I hope everyone on this site who knows me understands what I also have to say and why I am very happy and very upset at the same time. I feel I paid a fair price for my 84 Liquifire or in other words I feel I did not pay too much for it. However when the guy I bought it from would not drop a dime because he tells me a John Deere snowmobile collector from Fond du Lac tell him he is coming to buy it and not to drop the price a cent because it is worth at least as much as he is asking really pisses me off. I mean really pissed off, as in probably a couple hundred dollars pissed off.

Whoever you are, are not and will never be my friend. I'm tempted to scan the Fond du Lac Craigs List every spare second I have and call on every nice John Deere sled and tell them they are worth double what they listed them for.

I wouldn't really do this because I am a nice guy and I would not want to effect anyone else or my friends on this site. I just think this was a very low manuver and unethical. Believe me it takes alot to get me mad and I would be a lot madder if I wasn't so stinkin happy

The only thing that would have made me happier is if I would have bought it when Mr. Fond du Lac was pulling in the driveway after his long drive. :lol22:

OK, I feel a lot better now after I vented. I am really very happy and thrilled to death. I hate driving distances for a sled and feel very fortunate to find a sled of this caliber this close to home. Now I almost understand those $400 plus NOS sport seats. :lol22:

Duane

JDCornFlakes · Post by **JDCornFlakes** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 2:02 am

Duane:
It is not really a bad day....you are a winner in the end....and whether he is considered a loser or not . Life is full of them...and just be happy you are alive and breathing with a 84 L-fire !

Who's got the sled ?

Well at least a picture would be nice ? Please ?

Dave

69camaro · Post by **69camaro** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 2:19 am

Thanks much Dave. It was a great day. Very much indead. I still cannot believe I found one in my back yard. Pictures are hard for me. My wife knows how to downsize them, however I am kind of a computor idiot so I depend on her and believe me she does not share my enthusiasm about JD sleds or any sleds for that matter. I am at the mercy of the blonde boss. :lol22:

I would say maybe sunday if I talk nicely and go to church like a good boy :lol22:

Duane

mikehjd · Post by **mikehjd** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:06 am

I have a story just like that one. A couple of weeks ago an old fellow called into the local swap and shop on the radio and said he had a 63 ski doo for sale in running condition. I called right away and it was busy so I figured someone had beat me to it. I tried again a few minutes later and he answered and I asked him if he still had it. He said he did but a guy just called him and told him it was a real valuable machine and he should do some research before he sold it. So he said he was going to wait until he found out its value before he sold it. The part that really ticked me off was that guy who called didn't have any interest in it but figured why should someone get a good deal. I wish people would mine their own business when they don't have a clue what they are talking about. You can be guaranteed that if he wanted it he would have tried to get it as cheap as possible.

b00stinGTP · Post by **b00stinGTP** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:11 am

It is nice getting good deals on stuff.. but I dont know.. personally I would feel a little bit guilty if I got something for cheap knowing the person selling it did not know its true value... but thats just me, I dont think there is anything wrong with getting a good deal. But I dont think its right calling someone to tell them what it is really worth and then not buy it.. thats messed up.

TASKY · Post by **TASKY** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 9:25 am

Way to go Duane!!! I am with you on this one. I think it is best to get these type of items as cheap as you can. At least at a price that both you and the seller agree upon sounds fair instead of an over the phone estimate by another individual that may or may not be coming to get the sled.
Many times I have gone and looked at an out to pasture sled with locked motor, worn through skiis, and junk track only to find out the seller wants a couple of hundred dollars. Model depending I ussually leave it sit.
Where does the seller derive his price? Typically some other guy that has never seen the sled.
Maybe I am rambling or rumbling you have to keep it in context.
Duane I am not sure what you paid but if it is under $2000 you most likely got a good deal. Maybe if you could call me and hold the phone up to the sled I could give you a better estimate as to what your sled is worth.
In the end it is your money and just another pile of junk. The question is how much money are you willing to trade for that junk. Sincerely TASKY

69camaro · Post by **69camaro** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:05 am

Thanks for the support guys, now that I have had time to sleep on it I am not near as mad at this guy. It was a fair deal and I am very happy with it. It has been a long time since I paid list price. This seller was so informed by Mr. Fond du Lac he wouldn't even drop $20. I'm surprised he didn't raise his price from his listing. :lol22:

The seller was the second owner and he bought it from his uncle I believe. The sled has been proffessionally serviced its whole life by the local Deere dealer which his father works for. I am going to call him back and make sure that is correct. If anyone is interested his dad has a very clean 82 Trailfire and they also have a 76 Cyclone. I did not see the Cyclone but I did see the Trailfire which I am taking his word for it because it was very dusty. I do not know what they want for them although. They are located in Mondovi WI. Duane

ChickenRat · Post by **ChickenRat** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:26 am

I ran into an issue with an '84 Sportfire I recently purchased. It was found by another member of this site and that member contacted me about it. I went on to pursue the sled and it was, in fact, a very good deal for his asking price. After seeing several pics we negotiated out a price and I sent this person a check for the agreed upon amount. I was to pick the sled up within a two week window. Well, in the meantime other people started to contact this guy and offer him double and triple what I paid for the sled and the guy calls me back 100% pissed off and puts a demand on me to pick the sled up within 24 hours or he is going to next day air the money back to me and take the tripled amount offer on the sled. Well it was a 6 hour one way drive for me to pick up this sled and with my sometimes crazy work schedule I couldn't get to it for about 3 days. I told the guy that I had saved our e-mails and that my cashed check was a contract that binds this agreement. In the end, I got the sled but I couldn't get out of the guys place fast enough. The guy was as happy as could be to sell the sled until others started prodding on the price and then underhandedly offering double and triple the amount paid and making my life miserable in the process. This is the only experience I've had like this to date, but I wouldn't be surprized if it happens again.

Robb

69camaro · Post by **69camaro** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 11:55 am

Wow Robb, that is just plain crazy. I bet you were glad to get out of there. Duane

Mean Green · Post by **Mean Green** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:03 pm

Geez, is this what we're reduced to? A bunch of guys that know the true value of a sled, but get upset if they don't get it for a half or a third of it's value? Then get even more upset if someone clues the seller in? Sounds like a bunch of used car dealers at an auction around here. My heart really bleeds for ya that you found a mint 84 LF "in your back yard" and had to pay a fair price for it. Wow, that must really suck. Someone from WI last year had to drive to 12 hours each way to Nebraska last year for one on here and paid around $1500 for it I believe. Not a word out of them other than they couldn't believe their luck to have found one, a sled more rare than a Dator. I truly hope that new members aren't judging all of us on this thread. Bunch of vulchers looking for something for nothing. Believe it or not, I am sure you can still turn a profit on your investment if money is your thing. I'd love to have found one mint instead of fixing up what was left of one and taking two years and countless hours searching for parts. That's what makes ebay great, money talks, BS walks and that's the way I see it.

Tracy

ChickenRat · Post by **ChickenRat** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:21 pm

I'm not necessarily looking for a "great" deal money wise and I am certainly not in it to make a profit or flip sleds. Many on this site very much know that I have way over-paid and also under-paid on some JD sleds. It's just part of the collection process. Some people know what they have and charge accordingly and others don't. As long as both parties are happy, that's all that matters. An example: last spring several members stumbled upon a 1978 Cross Country Liquifire in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area on Craigslist. The price was around $100-200 and the sled was/is very, very nice. Well I called on this sled just minutes after the sled was posted and by this time, another member of this site was already on his way to "look" at the sled. Well of course the sled sold. My point being, several of us knew what the sled was but I never told the guy that I would offer him double or triple or more to try to buy the sled out from underneath the first prospective buyer. It's just all part of the deal. You win some, you lose some. I would have liked to have this sled but someone beat me to the punch and that's the way it worked out and I might add that the seller of this sled was happy. He didn't and probably still doesn't know what he had. Again, it's all part of the collection process, you over and under pay but it all evens out in the end.

Also, on the flip side, I have a 1977 Polaris Colt 340 S/S with 200 actual miles which is basically showroom perfect. I put it for sale this fall on VintageSleds.com asking $1500. Well, within 2 hours I had 37 e-mails and many saying "hold the sled I'll be there with cash in XX hours". One guy even said I live in Michigan and I can leave right now, I'll be there in the morning with $1500 cash. Well after the overwhelming response I got, I simply said the sled was no longer available because I had a waiting line of people willing to buy right now. If I ever sell the sled down the road, there will be a market adjustment on the price of this sled. However, I really don't know what a fair price would be.

Robb

Sprailfire340 · Post by **Sprailfire340** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 1:10 pm

Congrats on the sled. For what it is worth I tried to contact the guy a few days ago to ask some some questions (I'm not from FLac). Got no response. If I hadn't already purchased several sleds this year (too many:) I would have tried significantly harder to talk to him. I'm sure I'm not the only one who saw his ad. Significant interest will lead to a firm price. I don't believe in trying to screw others out of an already agreed upon deal, but I don't begrudge the guy for trying to learn more about what he has to sell. I also don't begrudge you for trying to get the best deal you can, but as Rich said what's wrong with a win/win? If she is as clean as you say it sounds fair, but only you can be the judge of what's fair as it is your money. I'm sure there are several here that will pay what you paid to take it off your hands. The fact is these sleds are becoming more and more popular every year especially when you can still buy them at 1/10 the price of a new sled. They are great trail machines and you can get a family up and running without mortgaging the house. I'm very happy for you, obviously you know what you have and will treat her right. Ride her, enjoy her, take care of her and you will not lose money if you need to sell her at some point. I hope you can make Horicon in a few weeks or Waconia next year to show her off.

JoeRainville · Post by **JoeRainville** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 2:36 pm

Sled prices and values will forever be an issue with collectors. When I first started collecting 'vintage' Deeres' vs. just "old ones" I was shocked when I heard about a really nice Liquidator selling for 2 grand. I've paid as much less, and on my last one, I've now paid a lot more. Remember all the chatter when a restored one sold for $6,300 on Evil Bay?

About 2 years ago this spring, I purchased one decient 84 Liquifire and a totally taken a part basket case with it for $1,200. It was a lot more than I really wanted to pay, but the guy did want $1,500 originally. Within 6 months of that purchase, 84's were going for over 2 grand on Evil Bay. I don't think I took advange of the seller, but paid a fair price for what they were selling for at the time.

Point I am trying to make here is that if you make a deal with a seller that you are both happy with, a deal is a deal. A seller should also educate himself on the value of the sled he is selling. Some guys give away sleds cheaply because they are 'old', but others try to cash in on the vintage craze by asking huge money for a run of the mill sled.

If a seller is really hell bent to get maximum dollars for a vintage sled, put it on Evil Bay and let the bidding begin. But nosing in on someone else's deal is kind of underhanded.

Duane: Nice job finding an 84, enjoy the sled and bring it to Horicon!
-Rainville

b00stinGTP · Post by **b00stinGTP** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 3:10 pm

I think you summed it up pretty well Joe. If both parties are happy then I think you are right, its a fair deal. This reminds me of a few years back when I bought a 99 Grand Prix GTP. It was advertised in the local paper and I had been looking for one for weeks, and it was advertised at a great price. I was the first to call the guy and the first to see the car. I got there, test drove it, and told him I would be back in 2 days to buy the car once I got a check from the bank. I called the guy the next day and just to verify my plans, and he told me had gotten about 5 other people who said they were going to buy the car as well, so I rushed out there that night and wrote him a regular check in exchange for the title, then once he got the check to clear he would drop the car off. I guess the next day two other people showed up at his house and the car was still there and everything, but when he informed them the car sold they tried to offer him even more money.. one party offered him 1,000 more dollars.

JDXspec · Post by **JDXspec** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 3:54 pm

Well I guess you don't need an 83 LF then do ya? Its probably a good thing you didn't come home with a 78 LF from Waconia. Less explaining to the wife. congrats on the 84.

Dustin