I am often asked the question, "what is my snowblower worth?" There are no hard and fast rules so let me begin by making some points.

• There is no "Blue Book" of machine values.
• To my knowledge there are no machines that have known collectors value such that they will fetch a higher price.
• You can command a dramatically higher price after several significant winter storms than you will in a July garage sale.
• There is a buyer for anything.
• Something is worth what a willing buyer will pay for it in a free market.
• Buying a vintage machine with limited or no spare parts support is taking on a hobby.
• Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
• You never know what will motivate a buyer.

I have taken in dozens of snowblowers in a wide range of conditions. If the machine is in working condition the owner sees the machine through rose colored glasses. He pictures it in "as new" condition and fully functional. The fact is that age, water, salt and use take it's toll. When I get a used machine I perform triage on it. In a 5 mnute examination I will almost always identify a dozen or more things that need attention. It may be an adjustment, wearing part or correcting for a part that was bastardized or substituted. A vintage machine getting looked at for the first time is almost sure to need several hours (and often much more) to make it mechaincally sound. It may run and even work but that does not mean it's sound. If you are not a DIY person the cost of getting this work done by a shop will soon make you wish you had bought a new machine.

There are many legacy brands that shops will not touch. With limited or no parts support they do not want to find themselves deep into a job with no parts availability. This would leave them in the misserable position of billing you to return a non working machine or eating the costs they sunk into your unit. There are many shops that see Gilson machines in just this light. The other gotcha is that every machine has it's tricks and procedures and it is difficult to find a technician that really understands your unit. The vintage machine owner wants to be prepared to go it alone.

NOTE: Professional engine service is almost always readily available for just about any machine. Just make it clear that you want the engine serviced.

That is probably as dire a picture of the used snowblower that I can paint but for the seller or buyer a little objectivity can be helpful in being realistic. What follows are some Gilson machines that sold recently (early 2007) on Ebay and their selling prices. These are prices that willing buyers freely paid and in some cases did so with no advance inspection. Watching ebay or searching past auctions can give you some ideas.