Fair price for a SA-200?

Buy them where ever you are and truck them down to Texas. Usual asking is $2500 and I saw one today at $3500. I'm not saying they are selling for that but there's an awful lot of asking...

Cliff,

You are exactly right about difference between "asking and getting". And I also agree it's better to pay more for a better machine IF IT'S A BETTER MACHINE YOU'RE ACTUALLY GETTING.

I've watched these for a long time. And I've come to the impression that they actually SELL at $1500 to $1800. But since I never saw (nor bought) these hypothetical machines, a) I don't know what shape they're in; and b) what price they really sold for.

Anybody have a real world experience?

V

The prices tend to vary according to demand. A while back it was possible to get one for $1500. However there's currently a small boom going on up here. Thus the $2500 probably isn't out of line at the moment.

Bought my SA about 10 years ago, with the truck (73 3/4 ton Ford, big block, 4wd, clean, solid, 60k miles), for $1500. Welder was a solid good condition, came with about 150' of heavy cable too.

I felt I got a pretty good deal;-)

John

It's not a small boom, it's a very large one. And old SA200's are going for a premium right now. Solid, ready to work machines are going for $3000 to $4500. Those that need work go for less of course. They'll pay for themselves the first week, so really it's a pretty good bargain if the machine is reliable. The best price I've found on a new 200D is $9300 delivered. Most places are asking over 10 grand. Same with the 300D's.

JTMcC.

I was talking about locally. I'm sure it's large in other areas.

Sounds right. Wait till the boom goes and they'll go down again.

There is nothing local about it. The oil/gas boom is world wide. And it's the biggest in living memory. And it's projected to last up to a decade. The pipeline construction backlog right now is bigger than at any time in history.

Sounds right or not, it IS right. And it's only going to get worse (or better depending on which side of the fence you reside on) in the foreseeable future.

JTMcC.

Ok. Locally it's not as big and I don't figure on it lasting that long here. They're are a good number of rigs drilling but they're going through the surveyed area pretty fast. I don't figure more than

3-5 more years within 100 miles of me.

It's immaterial to the point. There is no drilling activity in my part of the world. Lincoln engine drives are still bringing a premium in my area over what they brought 2 years ago, as they are all across the country. Cross country transmission lines are built everywhere. And pipeliners live everywhere. Proximity to an oil field isn't a factor. It's true that there are those odd deals to be encountered where buyer or seller or both don't know the market value of the machine but those are dwindling fast as the interest in the machines has skyrocketed over the last few years. Just like finding a 1969 Hemi Charger covered in a barn for 5 grand. Could happen but getting more and more unlikely every year.

JTMcC.

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JT,

I appreciate your comments. Based on past discussions I'm well aware that you are a "knowitus emeritus" when it comes to these machines.

Thanks,

Vernon

If you want to make a field trip to eastern NY, this one sure looks nice and at a reasonable price. I don't need it, and no, it's not mine, just something I saw while browsing the ads.

If gasoline engine drives are also bringing a premium, I'd be thrilled to offload mine - it's far more welder than I need, and a lousy generator; what I need is a good generator (which I think I just bought) and a more moderately capable welder, but local prices (I'm not far from this one) would mean I'd be losing thousands on selling the thing I have, so I don't.

As an aside:

When I want something, I put a WANTED ad to the local Quick Quarter rag equivalent. Or find bulletin boards at the markets.

I got two good plastic 55 gallon barrels for free last week on Craigslist locally.

If you put a wanted ad in, chances are you get people who are thinking about selling something, or who are selling, but haven't listed it yet. If it's a good deal or seriously underpriced, the first guy there is going to snatch it, and you'll never see it.

I have gotten some fantastic deals by doing this, and will be putting some more in soon for some specialty tools I need.

Just a thought. Craigslist is free, and the Wanted section in the local cheapie for sale paper doesn't cost much, either. The regular newspaper is another story. Even tacking posters on telephone poles can get you a deal.

And remember, this works for just about anything.

Steve

What I'm saying is that I don't know what's going on in the rest of the country. I just know what's happening local to me.

Don't give me more credit than I deserve, but these are the primary tool used in my work and quite a few of us have become pretty familiar with them as well as what the market is for the machines. The days of really nice, low hour pipeliners going for $500 out of a farmers barn are fading away unfortunatly. The internet in general and ebay in particular have served to make prices on some of the more unusual (like SA-200's) things well known to anyone willing to take a look. And make the item out in the barn available for sale worldwide. Right now there is at least 10 times the number of 200's on ebay than were there a couple of years ago. In February of this year I bought a 1980 SA-200, no doors, needed paint, had a miss at low idle and was smoking a bit but started very easily with no choke for $2800 and probably would of gone to $3000 if need be. With the intention of heavy pipeline use. It's on my truck now with all new belts, hoses, points, condenser, plug wires, all fluids, battery and a paint job w/new stickers. I consider that a pretty good deal. My understanding is that Lincoln has solved the reliability problems with the 200D but I still intend to wait and see for sure before buying one.

JTMcC.>

JT and everybody,

I want to thank you for keeping this thread alive and apologize for my lack of participation. Last Friday (the thirteenth) my wife sustained a nasty slip and fall and totally trashed her knee. I am talking surgery city... On Monday I took her to an orthopaedist and they did extensive tests, the results of which, were to be available Wednesday.

Then, on the following Tuesday, at about the same time she sustained the fall, and now 4 days later, she developed excruciating abdominal pains. Wednesday morning she had an appendectomy. Now she's outta the woods from that surgery, but is bed-ridden on two counts. As soon as she heals from that she will be back for knee surgery.

Tonight is the first chance I've had to do anything other than pace, fret, and sweat bullets.

Regards to all.

Vernon

Damn. I wish her my best.

We're praying for ya both. Time will fly, and you will both be back on Dancing With The Stars soon.

Steve

Pardon my ignorance but what IS so special about the SA-200?

I dont own an engine welder and i dont know so please dont jump down my throat on this.

If you take care of one, they last a very long time. Replacement parts are easy to find. They are user serviceable friendly. They're not complicated, and don't have a lot of fragile electronic parts. They weld great. They have a big generator. They stand up to heavy use. They are rebuildable.

If you wanted to buy a power driven welding machine today that would provide several thousand watts of power for the stage show at your funeral, you could buy one, and know that it would still be running when you weren't.

They are one of the top choices of men who NEED their machine to start and weld every time they need it on a job, because if it don't, they don't get paid that day, or the job stops.

Steve