It's a deal Lucille

[JD440ICD2006]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... SS:US:1123

What a great starting bid. You could hope that it is a reverse auction where the price goes down until someone buys it.
It even comes complete with the wrong JD logo on the back of the seat.
If this sells, the values of our "toys" will shoot through the roof.

[Tigerhaze]

He definitely hit one too many zeros in the starting bid

[JD440ICD2006]

The seller now states that "he" (assumed to be the owner which is not the seller) has more than $25,000 in this 440IC. I find that hard to believe unless he replaced every part. I could believe $10,000 to $15,000 IF and only if everything was replaced and done properly.
$25,000 would buy a pretty decent and more modern machine that would put out more work.

[Lavoy]

It is possible, especially if he had a dealer do the work. I had a customer here one time that had a dealer rebuild his engine, just a shade under $6000. Add in final or other work, and a dealer could bury you in a real hurry.
Lavoy

[cuznguido]

I worked for a short time for a dealer and I was downright ashamed to see some of the customers come to pick up their stuff. Outrageous was an understatement for some of it. But they do have a lot of overhead.

[JD440ICD2006]

I started out 10 years ago and was faithful to my local dealer. I knew that some of the prices were slightly higher than other places, but I also knew that my local dealer would be there for me.
Fast forward 10 years, I would have to be on crack to pay the exorbatant prices that my local dealer now says they have to charge.
If their "overhead" is that high, (which is one of many excuses that they are using), they need to revamp their business model.
I looked at some old invoices to make head to head comparisons of parts prices, it is out and out robbery what they are now charging.
I realize that there are some parts that are only available through my local delaer. But that does not make it right for them to charge what they do for more common parts with a fancy logo on the bag.

[Ray III]

Stealerships are starting to go out of business because no one wants to pay their ridiculous prices anymore.

Well, that guy dropped the starting bid to $10,000 and then $5,000 when he ended up having to relist it.

[Ray III]

The sad thing is the equipment manufacturers are conspiring to FORCE you to get stealer work done. All of the new machines are computer controlled. Don't know about Deere etc. but Cat intentionally designed their machines so you cannot service anything without having a laptop computer with special software connected to it. And Cat will only RENT (not sell) you such a computer if you pay them $3,000 a year or something stupid like that. And of course only the stealerships can hope to recoup such a cost...

A barn builder around here wanted to buy a brand new Cat telehandler forklift a few years ago, well, that's when this computer nonsense got started. My dad told the owner that if he wanted him servicing the thing for $60/hr instead of the Cat stealer for $100/hr, he better buy a used 2003 model (last year before the computer nonsense). Caterpillar lost that sale fortunately.

[JD440ICD2006]

There are laws on the books to help protect the consumer from "preditors" such as you described. (Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act)
I am certain they paid some law firm a hefty sum to build ther system so that it circumnavigates the laws. Or, in many cases, they figure the average consumer will not sue, either due to money and time constrants, or fear that large corporations always win.
If they are building a top quality product and selling it at a competitive price, they will earn more than enough business to turn a good profit.
Steps like that make me think they do not believe in their product.