Price question

[vizsla01]

I had friend's dad that owns a 78? John Deere Spitfire tell me I could have it. When I said How much you need for it, he replied just give me what you think its worth. The machine starts and runs, and is very clean for its age. What is a relic like this worth?? Thanks in advance!

[hanson]

Spitfire?

Thats a free air (F/A) with the cylinder heads sticking out of the hood, correct?

A "normal" sled from that era in "decent" shape is probably worth $200-300 bucks. Now because the Spitfire is an F/A, that makes it a whole lot more desirable among collectors.

I saw a quote somewhere that said, "If the motor sticks out of the hood, its good!"

I'm not really up to speed on vintage JD values but $500 might be in the ballpark.

I would do a search on HSOList for John Deere Spitfires and see what some have sold for and what their condition was. That'll give you a good ballpark of a fair market value for the sled.

Now when you go to offer on the sled, just tell him the sled is pretty common and throw out a number your comfortable with. I think its probably worth more than you're going to want to pay.