I think it’s like used cars honestly. If you know where it’s been all it’s life and who took care of it and how then it make all the difference. Wear and tear Is really a tough thing to put a number on. I typically look for detail parts. You can learn a lot about a model based off how it was physically handled. Look at grab Irons and piping. Scratches. Etc. But there are so many variables. Who makes it, how old is it, Is it all here. If not what am I gonna need to make it 100% and what does that cost. To be frank I’m generally more comfortable buying some older stuff because my skill set in working with these trains has grown pretty vast and is ever growing. If your not that guy who is afraid to take a shell off and look around I think you have to look at it differently. Every engine I own has been opened up and inspected and treated accordingly. I actually seem to enjoy buying some older Lionel and mth engines and making some modifications and tinkering With them more so than getting a brand new engine out of the box. But it’s not for everyone. Personally When I buy used I treat it differently depending on where it’s coming from. If it’s off eBay it’s a tossup. The legacy Texas type I just picked up didn’t have an outer box at all and looked to be a mess. For 650 bucks I took a chance and what I got was a brand new, unrun model with all the original box contents. Runs perfectly! What are the odds right! I usually am a little bit more lax buying from the forum because you get to know everyone and bad reputations spread fast around here. And usually it’s a lot easier to get good info on something your Intrested in. Regardless if it’s eBay or the forum don’t be afraid to ask for more pictures and ask more questions. It can be tough though as good deals disappear quickly as many folks first stop on the forum is the for sale for new listings. Same with eBay and saved searches. Train shows of course when you can see it, hold it, run it. Is the best but here lately that seems to come with a price! In the end it’s all what your comfortable with and how you want to spend your dollars.
|
|
