What's it worth? Kubota L2500 4x4 w/Loader

[wokndadog]

I have been looking at replacing the L185 for a while and recently came across this L2500 4x4 with an LB400 Loader. Hopefully you can help by giving me an idea of value for this tractor. Also if you own one of these units, please share a few words regarding your experience with it including "likes" and "dislikes". Obviously if you have recently purchased/sold one of these, I will be interested in knowing your opinion of value as recent sales are helpful.

This L2500 is showing less than 900 hrs on the meter and appears to be in reasonable condition for it's age. The paint is slightly weathered but in decent overall appearance, all body cowling/hood & fenders etc. seem solid with no dents or rust, the most significant visible damage noted is a broken headlight/marker lens and of course the typical cracks/splits you might usually see on an older seat.

Though I have not been aggressively looking, I was hoping to find something with a live-pto (or a two stage clutch) so that it might be better suited for running things like a snow-blower, rototiller or bushhog etc, and of course a hydrostatic type transmission would be nicer to have when shuttling back & forward while pushing dirt or snow. This tractor seems to be in decent shape and if the price is fair, I guess I can overlook those things since, I don't really have them with the L185. If you own or have owned an L2500 or otherwise have experience with them and are aware of any mechanical issues that may tend to be common to this model, it will be helpful to hear from you.

Assuming there are no major mechanical flaws, I will likely bring this one home, but of course that will also depend upon price. While I am happy to pay a "fair price" there are things to consider, for instance this owned by a private seller, so obviously it will be an "as is" deal (i.e. NO 30 day warranty etc.) and are no overhead cost that dealer might have (i.e paying mechanics to inspect/service the tractor before selling and commissions to sales staff etc.). Again, I am prepared to pay a "fair price", and am not looking to beat the seller up on price and at the same time, I don't want to take a thrashing on price either. If you have purchased or sold an L2500, I would be interested to hear your opinion on what might be a "Fair Price" and please be certain to indicate whether that price is with the loader included as well as whether you bought from a dealer or private seller.

NOTE: I realize market area plays a role, I am in Central Pennsylvania, so if you happen to be in that market, your input is just that much more relevant.

Here are a couple pics of the unit I am looking at, the seller is asking $8,000.
So what do you think, is that a square deal?
Or is it a great deal?
Or do you think the seller being overly ambitious with his price?

Thanks in advance for your constructive comments.

Gary B

 

[wokndadog]

Gee folks, thanks for all the helpful comments...

 

[PaulL]

It's not a super common model I think so probably not a lot of people with personal experience of them. Some of the questions you are asking around whether it's a fair price many people would answer by saying "have you checked online sales sites."

The short answer is that most of these Kubota models are pretty solid, there aren't any that are known bad. It's a 25HP small L, so equivalent in some sense to a current L2501. Tractors in that size range hold their value really well, so even at 20 years old $8K isn't out of the question. As to whether it should be $7K or $9K, it really comes down to condition, as always.

 

[nwjones18]

That's not a bad looking tractor. I'm not familiar with that model, but the price sounds pretty fair to me.

 

[Justasquid]

Just doing a quick search, I found several at dealers for around 8K. Non of them look as clean as the one you have pictured. Also, most did not have the loader. So I would say its a fair price.

As said, the compact tractors really hold their value. I would suspect you could purchase it, use it for several years and if you ever wanted to upgrade or sell it, you would be able to get the same or even more money.

 

[Jester67]

My take is slightly different I paid around 16k last year for a new 2501HST with loader and R4 tires SSQA bucket. So 2 vs 900 hours, new tires and hoses, SSQA, 0% financing, KTAC insurance (additional cost but great coverage), warranty & stronger loader. Is that worth 8K, it would have been for me, but my finances might be different?

 

[Bmyers]

Not familiar with the model, but the important question is the tractor worth $8k to you? Just because I may only find $5k of value in it and the next guy may find $10K, the ultimate question is what is it worth to you? As Jester67 pointed out, based on his value system, the 2501HST was the right price for him verses paying less for that tractor (if it had been available to him).

Does it sound like the person is trying to rip you off at that price? No, put the ultimate value is very individual decision with lots of factors going into it.

 

[wokndadog]

Just doing a quick search, I found several at dealers for around 8K. Non of them look as clean as the one you have pictured. Also, most did not have the loader. So I would say its a fair price.

As said, the compact tractors really hold their value. I would suspect you could purchase it, use it for several years and if you ever wanted to upgrade or sell it, you would be able to get the same or even more money.

Justasquid,
Thanks for your response, I appreciate the effort. We probably were looking at the same tractors (I only found 2 on tractorhouse) as well as some older ads (years old) on other sites. I realized that this model was only available for a couple years, but had expected it to be popular enough get responses from current owners who would comment, as well as finding some recent real word "comparable sold units" (in my business, that is how we establish value), but there don't appear to be many. So, I guess that can be taken one of two ways, either;
(1) Kubota quickly eliminated this model due to undesirable sales numbers, or due to some sort of liability issue such as mechanical or safety concerns.
OR...
(2) People are holding on to them and not getting rid of them (hopefully this is the case).

I do wish that I had been able to find some good comps, but it didn't happen. My biggest concern was that I didn't want to buy and pay a crazy price for a tractor that has the reputation of being Kubota's "dud" or "lemon" (think Chevy Vega or Ford Pinto).

Either way, I pulled the trigger and will be picking up the unit as soon as I can free up a trailer.

 

[Bmyers]

Justasquid,
Thanks for your response, I appreciate the effort. We probably were looking at the same tractors (I only found 2 on tractorhouse) as well as some older ads (years old) on other sites. I realized that this model was only available for a couple years, but had expected it to be popular enough get responses from current owners who would comment, as well as finding some recent real word "comparable sold units" (in my business, that is how we establish value), but there don't appear to be many. So, I guess that can be taken one of two ways, either;
(1) Kubota quickly eliminated this model due to undesirable sales numbers, or due to some sort of liability issue such as mechanical or safety concerns.
OR...
(2) People are holding on to them and not getting rid of them (hopefully this is the case).

I do wish that I had been able to find some good comps, but it didn't happen. My biggest concern was that I didn't want to buy and pay a crazy price for a tractor that has the reputation of being Kubota's "dud" or "lemon" (think Chevy Vega or Ford Pinto).

Either way, I pulled the trigger and will be picking up the unit as soon as I can free up a trailer.

Look forward to seeing pictures of the new tractor and it working for you.

 

[Impala]

In my area it should be worth more. Decent tractors with loaders hold their value.

 

[wokndadog]

In my area it should be worth more. Decent tractors with loaders hold their value.

Yes, location plays a big role in pricing, a $10k tractor in one state might only be worth $8k in another... (supply & demand rule the day).