I’ve always wanted to be a shrewd negotiator. To get a great deal on something simply due to my slick talking and hardened determination, or willingness to walk away from a deal, hoping the seller would chase me down and beg me to come back. But I suck at bluffing, and my conscience usually gets in the way. I really don’t like burning bridges or cheating anyone. The one time I tried it, I failed spectacularly… and it was well deserved.
When I moved to Omaha years ago and bought my first acreage, I needed a riding mower with a snow blade. And fast. There was a huge storm expected in just a couple days and all I had was a shovel for my 100-foot drive.
Luckily, I found one on Craigslist. A John Deere tractor no less, priced at just $500. I rented a trailer and drove to the guy’s house within an hour of seeing the listing.
He lived in a dated suburb with houses from the 50’s and yards small enough to mow with a push-mower. He looked tired, in his sixties, fiddling in his garage when I arrived.
I kicked the tires and asked the obligatory questions: “How old is it?” – “Can you start it up for me?” – “Will you turn on the mower deck?” – “How old is the battery?”
I didn’t get any responses that I could use to my advantage. The tractor seemed in good shape and it was a fair price.
But then, just as I was ready to offer him the $500, he laid it out there.
“It was my mom’s. This is her house. She just died and I’m trying to sell all her things. I need the money to pay the mortgage till I can sell it.”
The man was as desperate as I was. Even more so perhaps.
I don’t know how I did it, but I told him, “Ah, that’s too bad… Will you take $300 for it?”
He let out a long, defeated sigh that almost took my own breath away.
“I guess I have to,” he said.
Jackpot! I tried to tune him out as I put the tractor on the trailer. He kept going on about his mother and her house. I felt terrible for the guy, but I was broke and a snowstorm was coming.
I got it home and triumphantly took a photo atop it. My first tractor. Secured at a cheap price because I was so shrewd and awesome! That feeling didn’t last long though. I kept thinking about the guy and his mother. It just didn’t sit right.
I let my daughters drive it around the yard and I put in some fresh oil and gasoline. The blade went up and down perfectly and I was ready for the snowstorm.
And then it happened. As I was driving it into the garage for storage, smoke started coming from the engine. Slow at first. Then it was billowing like a fresh leaf fire. I jumped off and ran away. The engine stopped and the smoke kept coming. For several minutes. I was afraid it might blow up. Soon the smoke stopped. I put it on the trailer and drove to my mechanic friend.
I can’t remember exactly what happened but he said the engine was toast. It would cost at least $1000-$1500 to fix it. I told him to keep it. Fix and sell it if he wanted to. Or just scrap it.
The thing was cursed. I had cursed it with my greed and selfishness.
My penance was shoveling 3 inches of snow from a 100-foot drive. Well-deserved.
Ben North lives and writes from a homestead in Iowa.
John riffenburg says
Should have checked the oil first thing. Felt it between your fingers, and checked it for thickness. If it looked fresh, take warning. It might be fresh for a reason. Check the exhaust for soot. If it feels oily, it’s blowing oil, junk. Should have taken it for a cut around her yard. Ran it untill it got to operating temp, then some more.
David says
It sounds like you forgot to put oil back in it and ran it out of oil
Andy Seaver says
Making a deal that is favorable to ourselves is called being responsible with our money. Dealing with people fairly enables most of us to sleep well at night and look ourselves in the mirror. There are members of society who seem to lack that characteristic. Winning at all cost appears to be their mantra. A prime example of this would be the current justice system. I believe that the Golden Rule was written to cover this topic. For those of us that believe in the Bible, the parable of the Good Samaritan comes to mind. Finally, the entertainment business has a saying, “Remember that the people you step on climbing the ladder of success will be there when you are coming down too.”
James E Kelley says
Go Omaha! I live between Springfield / Papillion. I appreciate your perspective on doing the right thing and taking a lesson from the adventure. Personally, I love a good deal…but I have also found myself doing what I felt was the right thing. Indeed, I have surprised my wife by paying more than the acting price when I knew someone needed it and did not truly know what they had. Some may say I am stupid, but I sleep well at night and I know that my Karma is in balance.
Thank you for sharing.
J
John Harding says
Ah you win some you lose some. I bought a John Deere 210 (1979) model back in 2009 or so for 750. From a dealer. With in a a few weeks I rebuilt the carb three times, replace fuel lines found a ill advised fuel tank repair that left plastic shavings floating in the tank and contaminated the fuel/carb and filter. Ended up replacing the tank and adding a filter. Then the coil went bad, I rebuilt the engine due to oil consumption and all safety switches failed ended up by passing them all. Once all of that happened and a new variator it worked well for 7 years. Should have bought a newer one.
Troy Adams says
Well it’s a good thing you didn’t have a soft heart and give them the $500 or you would’ve really been up shits creek.
Tony says
Buy new and junk it when it gets old and worn out, unless you are ready to overhaul it, People have one life, and things have one life.
Brad says
That’s an interesting view you have of the situation. Did you consider the possibility that the guy knew it was on it’s last leg and you’re the one that got screwed?
Big Al 45 says
Agreed. Face it, for any machine to go like that, it was already there, so in fact his self indulgent Karma is very possibly misplaced.
As to negotiating deals and getting screwed, this may also be a case of “Caveat emptor”, and he simply made a bad deal.
There is nothing wrong with getting a lower price, after all the seller can always sell to someone else.
This wasn’t ripping off a ‘little ‘ol Lady’, it’s business, plain and simple.
MARK METZGER says
We are mirrors, projected and observed in our environment. You have learned an important lesson. Chose a path with heart and this will become your reality. Cheers mate.