Your probably not going to like my response...

I would take the 1000 hour okay condition 332 all day long over ANY restored tractor. I much prefer to see it in its originality, then I can assess the kind of care its had and make a choice. I absolutely refuse to buy someones "restored" tractor unless I know them personally. To many people just throw paint on it and try to sell it off as restored, when it was junk to start with. I don't restore them to sell them. I restore mine knowing im going to keep them and use them. I know every bolt of them, everything that's been done and know I did it right. I do it so they look good for years to come and I am not covering anything up to try to profit off of. It is purely for my benefit, and I do it knowing I would never get that money back.

Too many times have I seen someone play something off as restored when they just took the sheet metal off and masked off everything else and sprayed what they could get to of the frame. That is not a restoration in my book. To do it right, everything needs to come apart, be assessed/repaired/replaced then reassembled. I am not saying that is how you did it, I am just saying a lot do it that way and that is exactly the type of thing I avoid.

Another note, your automotive paint job is nice, shiny and glossy. Has some advantages over factory paint for sure, but in MY eyes hurts the value. They were never meant to be clear coated and it takes away from it (this is only my opinion), and it is very difficult to touch up. If I buy a John Deere, I expect to be able to go to my dealer and get anything it needs, and that includes parts and touch up paint. To me, it needs to be OEM if its available. The exception to that rule obviously is something that is NLA and has to be sourced elsewhere. To elaborate a little more, lets say for example I bought your 332 and was using it one day when something hit the side panel and put a dent and big scratch into it. Now I am left trying to fix it, without knowing what type of paint it is. Did you use enamel? Urethane? What brand? What type of clear? Lets say I don't know, so I walk in to the Deere dealer (since its a Deere) and pick up a can of green paint, and go home and paint the side panel. Then I put it back on and guess what? Looks totally different than the rest of the green... See what im getting at here?

Again this is all 100% my opinion. It is what I look for in machines. Someone like mrbeef would have a much better idea of how any of that actually effects market value. I also would be happy to own your 332, its beautiful, but I thought I would give an honest answer to the comparison you provided. The older I get, the less I want to get into a machine that needs a full restore. I would rather hold out for a nice original, and that view is what is driving my opinions. I am happy that I did the 140, and am excited to see the 332 come together, but the reason I bought a machine like my X was so that I had something that needed nothing, and no money to make it operable. And I still prefer the old stuff.

BTW PLEASE PLEASE understand I am not bashing your 332 or the work you put into it. I do think its beautiful, and its obvious it means a lot to you. You should be proud of it.

 

Well Nick then I guess we think the same like I said don't really ever plan to sell the 332 I just like to know the value of something I own in particular the older tractors in case I'm forced to sell it or in case somebody just ask's me about the value of a machine like min I'll be able to give them a good answer.

Like I have said before I did the automotive style job just beacuse I like the way it looks and in the grand scheme of things I do baby the machine so while scratches are a concern it doesn't happen often like my 165 for example has the same style paint job and in the almost 6 years I've owned it I've only put a couple scratches on it but I did use it and a prime example is I burnt through a transmission I've also rode in all kinds of trails with it so it was probably the least babied due to it being my first one and not knowing how to take care of it well.

But the 332 I've been vary cautious and the reason is I have other tractors that can go in situations where I wouldn't want to scratch or tear up the 332. And finally like you I restore them for my own enjoyment and I like preserving the past not to make money. And lastly never once did your post sound like bashing to me I asked for an honest opinion and that's exactly what I got and I really appreciate that.

I guess I kind of lied when I said the 1000 hour 332 was just an example when in reality I was thinking about my friends 332 I wanted to see where mine compares value wise to his since I tried to buy his before he sold me mine to build.

 

If it were March 20th or April, you would probably wish ya had 3 more to sell, lawnmowers is always seasonal in sales, and springtime is the time to sell at the high price.

wwxx

 

"Too many times have I seen someone play something off as restored when they just took the sheet metal off and masked off everything else and sprayed what they could get to of the frame. That is not a restoration in my book. To do it right, everything needs to come apart, be assessed/repaired/replaced then reassembled. I am not saying that is how you did it, I am just saying a lot do it that way and that is exactly the type of thing I avoid."

I think you are mixing Cleaning up and making a JD look good to restoring one. I have never "Restored" one yet but I have sold some real nice machines that made the new owners happy. I would never buy a restored JD because I too prefer to see the original state when I look to buy it. But that doesn't mean that the PO couldn't have hosed it down before I got there or wiped the dirt off of the instrument panel. I would buy a 1969 429 Mustang Mach I that had been restored because it would be a show car but I wouldn't buy a restored JD because it is a tool. I would never put a clear coat on a tractor simply because it is a tool that will get scratched and need a touch-up or a one-panel respray. If you stick with JD paint then there is never any question of what type or brand of paint to buy. A restoration is only for the owner to enjoy because the restorer will never get his money back. We love our tractors but when you back off and look at them for what they really are they are our tools unless you have a collection then they are probably show cars..

 

You're exactly right. The reason I did the base clear coat just beacuse it's what I like and that's what the rest of my tractors and my family's tractors have on them so I like them to match. Plus this tractor goes to show just like the rest of my tractors and my family's other tractors as well as all of my friend's tractors as they all have the same base clear coat paint job. So I guess it's a show tractor that gets used occasionally plus the fact I do have a collection and it's getting larger every year. I want to thank you for your honest opinion I really appreciate it!

 

I recently saw a 318 that had a similar restore job as your 332 and it was going for $6500. That doesn't mean its worth $6500 thats what he wanted for it. Part of his price is that Honda motor. I would say realistic price for your 332 is $4500 as an asking and then settling somewhere in the mid to high 3k range.

one example
https://capecod.craigslist.org/grd/5950927695.html

and the 318 for $6500

 

I've seen that 318 it's really nice. And I think you're pretty much spot on value wise to what I would like to get out of it. Even though just dollar wise not including labor I probably only have half that in it but you add in the labor then you're way above that number but this is a hobby and a labor of love.

 

Many people looking to buy a garden tractor go through a progression of choices. They think about new first just to get a feel on price and general information. The price shocks many and they now investigate the used machines. There are many people who could afford new but don't want to buy new and lose whatever immediate depreciation happens or they like to buy used because for the same price as new they get used with more options and/or more implements or almost new identical tractor for less money.

Those people are not looking for restored as in "collector or show" quality restored. They are looking for restored "useable" quality. How will it work and how long will it last. IMHO if restored would include the engine and drivetrain then it is an easy choice. Restored for the win.

One tractor is well cared for and is a 1000 hour garage kept, well maintained beauty the other is a 3000 hour machine with a fresh rebuilt engine and everything else, restored beauty I am buying the restored one if not too much more money or the same money. It should outlast the 1000 original hours one.

The originality of the paint is not a concern to me. Even if I bought it brand new I am taking it home to use it, properly take care of it but not baby it. It is going to get some scratches from driving near bushes or throwing my leather gloves or whatever on it. It will stay in the garage and out of the weather but it will sometimes have a shovel or broom or rake resting against it.

If you but a new truck and after a year it does not have any scratches or dings in the bed then you didn't use it and didn't need a truck. If you bought a new 4x4 and it doesn't have any bumber or body scratches on it than you didn't really do any 4 wheel driving. My brother still has his 1979 Ford 250 4x4 with 80,000 miles. He has never had anything in the bed or did any rough 4x4 driving. Same with his 1992 Ford 250 and his 2004 350 dual wheel. That is a waste of new trucks IMHO.

So I say your restored 332 is more valuable to an end user than a 1000 hours same year 330. If I was a collector looking for an example of a 332 then I would get the original condition 1000 hour one.

I would guesstimate $3000-3500. Maybe more if you are a good salesman and the machine stands tall in person.

 

You're exactly right. I may baby my tractor more than the other guy just beacuse I want to make it last plus it goes to shows so I have to keep it looking nice. You're value estimate is pretty much spot on with what I was thinking value wise. Thank you for your honest option I really appreciate it?

 

This is why they use blue book for later model autos and auction sales histories on classics.
Value is really an agreed upon amount of money between a buyer and seller.
My 332 is not restored and I wouldn't sell it for $3500. My uses for it are worth more than that. I watched it go from $3500 to $ 2500 on CL before I bought it because that is what I was willing to pay and. That was also the price point where I thought that it might start getting interest from other buyers in this area.
Someone that is not mechanically inclined will pay more for something that they think will not have to be repaired as often as an identical model. I would not pay more for yours because I like to see what they look like on the inside. My neighbor, who is a nice guy from NYC, would probably give you every dime of your investment because he can't/doesn't want to work on anything.
I've said all that to say that the answer to your question is subjective. It will depend on who you ask. Don't worry about what it's worth until you're ready to sell it.


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You're exactly right too I have seen the values of 332's go up and down but from what I've seen in my area they're trending up value wise. If I where to sell my 332 it would more than likely be to a collector or possibly my friend I bought the 332 from beacuse he's a big collector down here and he know the tractor as well as I do since he helped me with the tractor while I was at school and didn't have time to work on it all them time as we where trying to get it done on my birthday which we succeeded in. And the last time I talked to him about my 332's he said he wouldn't take a dime less than $4,000 which we both pretty much agreed on.