m worth repair before sale(long post)

First try to sell the M as is, but tell the buyer it needs a clutch and get a dealer's repair shop quote for the work. As long as you are honest and up front, and the price is right, it should sell. If not, you can THEN spend the money to fix it.

I paid $2500 for a "restored" M owned by a friend in my town. I got weights and a two-bottom plow with it. I've known the tractor for several years and at a distance of 6 to 8 feet it always looked OK. But once it became "my tractor" I found more pieces of local hardware store links, fasteners, eye-bolts, etc. painted green than I want to count. I also noticed several more tie rod and front axle welds than at first glance and a bunch of "farmer grade" repairs.

I've been collecting "real" JD replacement parts from various suppliers around the country. I now have another $1700+ invested. If your buyer is somebody like myself, a clutch is just one more item needing replacement. When I get through with what I call a "restoration" it will be Expo quality--maybe not a prize winner but certainly "in the running."

What I am saying is it all depends on who your buyer is and why he wants an M. You won't know who the buyers are and their objectives until you advertise it. Be realistic on the price and leave yourself 10% negotiating room.

(Personally my objective is eventually to get an MT, and then a 40, as I already have a 420--all in the same family. MAYBE I'll then look for a 430 but that's a lot of $$$$ down the road.

(When I finish the M, I'll be looking for an MT which is basically sound and runs well, but needs work, replacement parts and a paint job that totals about what I pay for the basic tractor. To me a big part of the "fun" in JD collecting is searching for the parts to make it look and work to my own standards, which are not necessarily exactly the way it left the factory 50 years ago, but something I can show, parade AND use!)

In the M, you need to figure the what the parts and your labor would cost you, then decide on a sale price...figure what you can get "as is", then with the clutch fixed...if it's more than your parts a labor cost, fix it, if not, then don't...mainly, it depends on what the buyer is willing to pay...