got a dilema, need suggestions

Anonymous-0 · Nov 25, 2011

My 80+ grandfather has a John Deere 60 that he advertised for sale a year ago for $4000. Nothing special about it, just a good running original condition JD60. I told grandma at the time that I was interested in buying the tractor but that $4K was too much, if and when grandpa was willing to reduce the price to a more realistic level then I would buy it. Nothing more was said.

Fast forward to a few days ago, I was talking with an acquaintance of mine when he said that he had just bought my grandfather's John Deere 60. He would not say how much he paid for it but he did admit that it was less than $1000, knowing the guy, he would not buy it unless it was CHEAP, so I am thinking he payed more like $500-$700. Grandpa would not tell how much he sold it for either.

I told the buyer that I had previously told grandma that I wanted the tractor but that grandpa was asking too much for it at that time. The buyer said that he would be willing to sell it to me for $1500.

I would have been perfectly willing to pay grandpa $1500 for the tractor, but the fact that this other guy bought it for 1/3 to 1/2 that price really bothers me. Grandma must have forgotten that I wanted the tractor, but there is really nothing she can do now.

David G · Nov 25, 2011

I lost 2 shotguns of my dads that way, and have heard from other people that have offered good money for family things only to hear they got sold cheap without getting a chance at them.

I do not believe there is anything you can do unless, you can ask the other person what he would take for the tractor. He will sell it to you if a decent person.

flying belgian · Nov 25, 2011

That sounds like a fair price to me. Buy it.

Owen Aaland · Nov 25, 2011

If it is worth $1500 to you go ahead and buy it.

Life is too short to worry if some one else is making a profit if you figure what you are getting is worth what you are paying for it. Dwelling on it will not make you happier.

paul · Nov 25, 2011

Family can sure treat a person rough. Happens a lot. A whole lot.

You got a chance to buy the tractor if you want it.

Up to you, if you want it or not. It was yout grandmas to with as she pleased, and she did. Right or wrong, she did it her way.

It's up to this new owner to do with as he wants, and he's given you an offer.

You can pay it & own it, or not.

--->Paul

richardinnz · Nov 25, 2011

Your Grandmother will be around the same age as your Grandfather? She just probably forgot, thats all, old folk do that.
Forget about it, buy it if you are able and want to and keep it in the family, but for Gods sake don"t bear a grudge, a tractor is"nt worth a family row.

John A. · Nov 25, 2011

JD60man, Not to sound insensitive here BUT....
GrandDad got What he Wanted for the Tractor!
You SAID you would give $1500 for it.,,,,
So what is the problem? After the dust settles GrandDad & GrandMa got paid for the tractor!
You paid the $1500, & you have GrandDads tractor!!
Be D@mn Glad the first buyer was willing to sell it!
Later,
John A.

davediehl@hotmail.com · Nov 25, 2011

If you feel its worth 1500, then pay the man and drive it home. Your grandparents already received what they wanted, but if you let it get away you might not get what you want.

dabees · Nov 25, 2011

Grandma might have known any price she sold it to you would not be enough in the eyes of some other family member(s)and cause ill feelings. She mught very well gave it to you but for the same reasons. No offense intended but a few posessions that I value will be placed with non-family that I feel will appreciate and care for them if it comes down to that or allowing them to go to family that will fail to care for them. Buy the tractor and go easy on granny.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 25, 2011

Never mind what the other chap paid for it, 1500 is a good reduction from 4000. If you want it.

36 Coupe · Nov 26, 2011

People do strange things.Friend paid 105 bucks for a new air conditioner.I was with him when he bought it new.He used it for 2 summers then advertised it for sale for 120 bucks.Several callers offered 75 bucks for it.I offered the same money for it.No sale.He finally gave it to a used goods store.

Bob Huntress · Nov 26, 2011

If your grandfather were to realize that he could have gotten between two to three times more than he got, you wonder if there will be hard feelings each time he sees the tractor that he was taking to the cleaners over? Are you wondering how your grandpa will react to learning that you paid $1500 for a tractor he let go for $500 - $700? The fact that he was asking $4000 for it makes me think that he might be steamed to see missed opportunity sitting your yard. To be honest, I'ld consider walking away from the whole thing, if your relationship with your grandfather is important. There is no more blunt way to say, "What were you thinking selling the tractor for so little?", than making him see it at your place, should he ever learn that you paid the same $1500 that could have gone to him.

ASEguy · Nov 26, 2011

Buy it and don't tell him what you paid for it. You get your grandfather's tractor, which is what you wanted at the price you wanted. Life is too short.

larry@stinescorner · Nov 26, 2011

thats the same answer I was going to type!

MarkB_MI · Nov 26, 2011

That's how it goes dealing with old people. Don't take it personally.

The important thing is you now know your grandparents are starting to lose their faculties and are ripe picking for shady characters like the guy who basically stole their tractor. You and your parents need to try to protect them from these crooks. Start helping them with their day-to-day activities and business dealings so when the next crook comes along you'll know about it and can step in.

PJH · Nov 26, 2011

Get grandma and grandpa out of your head, then decide if you want to give $1500 for a 60 John Deere. You can eat yourself up trying to figure out the whys and wherefores.

I agree that someone in the family should help your grandparents with their financial matters, if they'll allow it. Shysters like to prey on the elderly, and as I get older I notice that I'm often "out of the loop" concerning the value of things.

Anonymous-0 · Nov 26, 2011

Pay the $1500 and take grandpa's tractor home!!
Thats not a bad price for that tractor,and a good price for something that has family history! Look at it this way.Yes the buyer will make money from you,BUT you know where the tractor is and it can be bought, It could have been shipped to some far away place where you would have to track it down and then maybe the owner wont sell it to you.If it were me ,I'd pay the money and be happy! Just my 2 cents worth!!! Doug

M Nut · Nov 26, 2011

I'd buy it while you can, and even at $1500 that isn't a bad price. If I found a good straight 60, I'd pay that for it, plus you have a family connection to that particular tractor. Put the past behind you, buy it, and I'm sure you won't regret it.

DoubleR · Nov 26, 2011

1500 hundred is a darn good price for the tactor. Pay the guy his 1500 hundred and forget the story behind it. If it still upsets you down the road, sell it a make a profit on it too.

Buckeye · Nov 26, 2011

I missed buying my granfather's Farmall B for $1000 that he sold to a neighbor. I told my neighbor that if he ever sold it to give me a chance to buy it. He used it hard for several years and when he decided to sell it he offered it to me for $1500. I know it wasn't worth $1500, but it was to me! I was glad to have a chance to buy/own it.

Vito · Nov 26, 2011

Maybe you should have offered that amount to your grandfather in the first place.That the buyer is willing to sell it to you is a good thing.Buy it or let it go is completely your decision.

I see no reason to whine about it.

Vito

M-MAN · Nov 26, 2011

Pay the man, bring the tractor home & forget it.

I can think of at least a dozen reason's why it could have happened that way but not 1 of them matter.

PatchFarmer · Nov 26, 2011

go ahead and buy it because sooner or later you are going to regret having pasted on Grampa's tractor. You might not ever get another chance to get it.

John730D · Nov 26, 2011

Good answers all, but consider the fact that maybe Grandpa new something was really wrong with the tractor and he did not want you to be burdened with the repair cost. Or maybe he didn't want to upset other family members by selling it to you.

Go buy the tractor and be happy you have it.

Badger bob · Nov 26, 2011

My grand dad traded his f20 for a hog (1970) and it was 12yrs later i found it. and it was stuck and rusty. and it cost me $400.00 yes i could have bought a running one for that price. but i have it and my son will have it. Buy Buy Buy it its your last chance you wont be sorry. Bob

dixon boy RL · Nov 26, 2011

what dilema,you want it buy it simples as that. people that age do that very normal. some day you may have to take care of her or him. If youreally wanted it and it would have made your grandpa really happy then i would payed the 4000.00. yea its not worth it in its value probably but it was your grandpa correct. i know fellow that paid over 6000 for a 630 jd simply cause it was grandpas he bought when new. it has never moved a day since bought now. buy it and go on.

F-350 · Nov 26, 2011

I"d go ahead and buy the 60 JD for $1500 but it is rather puzzling why your grandparents didnt call and offer it to you first for under $1000....This isnt the first time that I have seen this happen..

Anonymous-0 · Nov 26, 2011

family is much easier to get along with when there's an ocean between you....... You have two easy options now....

1) pout and stomp your foot cause mamaw didn't tell papaw to sell it to you.

2) stop whimpering and pay the guy that had the gumption to ask for it the price he wants..Just look at his profit as a feee for doing what you were scared to do.

OTH...maybe grandpa thinks you're a punk for going behind his back and whining to grandma and just wouldn't have sold it to you at any price????

37 chief · Nov 26, 2011

Like someone else said buy it now. The guy is just making a profit. My brother bought a f350 for 500.00, and said I could buy it for 1000.00 I knew what he paid for it, and I needed a truck. So I bought it. If you let the tractor go, you will be kicking your self the rest of your life. Stan

fixerupper · Nov 26, 2011

Dave 2 is right. There's an ocean between you and family now so you can buy it without family problems now or later on. It kind of gets your goat for a little while knowing someone is making money off the deal but it's better than the possibility of living with family sentiment for a long time, and it IS $2500 cheaper now. Jim

jbp · Nov 26, 2011

I would let it go. Every time you see it will remind you of the circumstances and pull the scab off old wounds. Joe

massey333 · Nov 26, 2011

As the same thing happened with my wifes dads 50,but it disapered in one day and the "local" man didn't know where it went??.It took me 20+ yrs.and ++++ miles to maybe find it again and buy it,so as the saying goes"Either do it or get off of the pot".At least he told you and offered it back,which my wife or none of the family were offered.If that is the worst thing that happens you are lucky.

buickanddeere · Nov 26, 2011

(quoted from post at 00:27:32 11/26/11) My 80+ grandfather has a John Deere 60 that he advertised for sale a year ago for $4000. Nothing special about it, just a good running original condition JD60. I told grandma at the time that I was interested in buying the tractor but that $4K was too much, if and when grandpa was willing to reduce the price to a more realistic level then I would buy it. Nothing more was said.

Fast forward to a few days ago, I was talking with an acquaintance of mine when he said that he had just bought my grandfather's John Deere 60. He would not say how much he paid for it but he did admit that it was less than $1000, knowing the guy, he would not buy it unless it was CHEAP, so I am thinking he payed more like $500-$700. Grandpa would not tell how much he sold it for either.

I told the buyer that I had previously told grandma that I wanted the tractor but that grandpa was asking too much for it at that time. The buyer said that he would be willing to sell it to me for $1500.

I would have been perfectly willing to pay grandpa $1500 for the tractor, but the fact that this other guy bought it for 1/3 to 1/2 that price really bothers me. Grandma must have forgotten that I wanted the tractor, but there is really nothing she can do now.

Sorry but I would just have to be a small puncture wound about it. They told you one thing and then did another. I would purchase the tractor back and show them the bill of sale.
It may sting a little now but it will help prevent the same thing form happening again with other belongings.

buickanddeere · Nov 26, 2011

oop's spell checker.

Sorry but I would just have to be a "puncture wound" bout
it. They told you one thing and then did another.
I would purchase the tractor back and show them
the bill of sale.

It may sting a little now but it will help prevent
the same thing form happening again with other
belongings.

Heavyduty1 · Nov 26, 2011

Sounds like the guy may have got the ball rolling, gettin the tractor sold. He got the price droped for you, from 4k to $1500. I'd buy it and have a good story to tell the grand kids. :lol:

GVSII · Nov 26, 2011

My grandparents would have given it to me or my brother if they'd known we'd wanted it.

Paul from MI · Nov 26, 2011

I am the owner of two family tractors, a 1942 Farmall H that my grandfather bought new and a 1948 Allis-Chalmers B that my dad bought new and I grew up on. Got a couple of thoughts about this. $1500 is a good price for a decent 60, I'd go ahead and buy it. If you have memories of running this tractor years ago they will be fresh every time you climb on it. They won't be on any other 60. The small profit the current owner makes is the best insurance from a family fight you'll ever buy. No one in the family can complain that you talked grandma out of it at a cheap price. She sold it and you bought it from that guy. No favoritism involved. You get the tractor you have wanted at a fair price and no one else in the family can complain about it or say you stole it. Win-win in my book.

Paul from MI · Nov 26, 2011

P.S. And forget all that stuff about why or why not Grandpa wouldn't sell it to you for $500---that'll just get you nothing but grief.

barnE · Nov 26, 2011

Old people forget. Old people make badecisions. Old people change their mind after making a deal. Ask me how I know. I ARE OLD PEOPLE. Sorry for my deficiency. Dave

RandyB(MI) · Nov 26, 2011

Leave your Grandparents out of it at this time. You can only hurt feelings / relationship at this point by even bringing it up. My sugestion is to pay the $1500 and consider it a better deal than you would have gotten had you and your Grandpa done the deal. I'm sure you were going to offer him more than that. Whether this neighbor makes money on it or not is a mute point here. You would have paid $1500 in a minute had your Grandfather agreed to it. Get it before he changes his mind.

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