You may have already heard my story, but a few may have not heard it yet. I bought a treadmill off of "craigslist" last week for $50. It is less than ten years old, and it looked like it had pretty low mileage on it. It originally sold for about $4,500.00 when it was new, and it is designed for heavy duty running or light commercial use. When I got it, it did not run at all, and some of the electrics were pretty well toasted. I replaced a bad fuse, cleaned the motor and drive system up, replaced a bad fuse holder, and I also cut out and soldered past a badly toasted connector. I now have a very fancy treadmill that works fine for less than $60 invested.
I found out that this particular treadmill had a recent recall, because a few of the thousands that were sold had actually caught on fire. I called the service department to set up the recall and just as I was about to give them my address, I asked them what the recall was for. They said it was to cut out the toasted connector that I had already removed, so I opted to pass on the recall. No reason to bring a repair guy out here for nothing.
Tomorrow, the treadmill wax ($9) and the teflon dry lube ($6) are supposed to arrive, so I should have my new mill up and running by the weekend. My Dad is also coming out this weekend to help me install a dedicated power line in the basement for my new treadmill, so Karen and I can both run at the same time - until the old treadmill completely croaks.
I am pretty dorky, I get excited about resurrecting nice stuff for little or no money. I guess that is why I pick lawnmowers out of the trash, fix them up, and then sell them. Maybe I should start up a new business next summer collecting mowers and selling them on craigslist? I think it is about time James learned how to fix mower engines. He knows how to use a screwdriver (pronounced screwdriber) and his wrench turning skills could use a little work. He already knows how to change the oil in the mower, just ask him. My next book will be called "How to pay for college, one mower at a time."
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4 comments:
"my name is fish and I am a craigslist junkie"
Dude, you are THE MAN. That is awesome!
Neil says he wants to wrench it, too!
Hey that's pretty cool. If I could stand to run on a treadmill for more than a few seconds I could give that a try.
One of my running buddies got an almost new road bike on Craigslist, so I might give that a try
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