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Hey guys. I have a 1979-1983(I am not exactly sure what year yet) Snapper rer mower with a 30" deck that was given to me. I really want to fully restore the mower to original status. I would like to sell it, though, when I get done. Do you guys think I could sell it, and if I do, how much do you think I could get. Thanks!

Lawn Mower Parts, Small Engine Parts & Much More! | PartsTree.com - Briggs, MTD, Toro, Cub Cadet, Husqvarna, Troy-bilt... try to locate model & serial numbers as well as all numbers from engine & engine manufacturer and post, as far as price I haven't a clue.

Mutilator712 said:

Hey guys. I have a 1979-1983(I am not exactly sure what year yet) Snapper rer mower with a 30" deck that was given to me. I really want to fully restore the mower to original status. I would like to sell it, though, when I get done. Do you guys think I could sell it, and if I do, how much do you think I could get. Thanks!

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Do some checking EBAY...looking for "Sold" listings. My guess would be in the $250 to $400 range....probably nowhere near what you would spend, both in time and money to fully restore such a mower.

deminin said:

Do some checking EBAY...looking for "Sold" listings. My guess would be in the $250 to $400 range....probably nowhere near what you would spend, both in time and money to fully restore such a mower.

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Yeah but still... they don't make them like they used to Hard to find these things in A+ condition.

Harmond said:

Yeah but still... they don't make them like they used to Hard to find these things in A+ condition.

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That's true...most of these mowers have probably found their way to the scrap yard by now. Even in a fully restored condition, I doubt that there is much of a collectors market for 35 yr. old lawnmowers...it's not like something you could put in a display case in your family room. If you can get it in decent running shape for a reasonable cost, you can have a "conversation piece", and get some admiring comments from friends and neighbors...but that's about it.

In restored like new condition. I could easily get $600

People love the old snapper rer.

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Carscw said:

In restored like new condition. I could easily get $600

People love the old snapper rer.

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That's probably true....but How Much time and money would it cost to restore one to like new condition...probably more than it would be worth. I have an 15 yr. old Snapper 33" mower, and I haven't had to replace much more than the battery, blades, and a spindle. If I can keep it going for a few bucks a year, I will keep it...but if the repairs start reaching into several hundred dollars, I will apply that money to a new rider.

deminin said:

That's probably true....but How Much time and money would it cost to restore one to like new condition...probably more than it would be worth. I have an 15 yr. old Snapper 33" mower, and I haven't had to replace much more than the battery, blades, and a spindle. If I can keep it going for a few bucks a year, I will keep it...but if the repairs start reaching into several hundred dollars, I will apply that money to a new rider.

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There is nothing on a snapper rer that would run 100s
Maybe the Engine but that's it.

They are the easiest mower to make money on.

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It largely goes like this.
Joe public sees the odd one for sale at a few $ so in the back of their minds that is all they are worth, a couple of $.
Collectors usually want to buy the cheapest ones & do the work themselves.
Most customers get hooked on "Newer is better" so it is a hard sell to make them believe a 30 year old mower is worth even thinking about using.
So the only person who will be interested in your mower is someone who is still using their old mower because they appreciate its superior performance for a particular task.
Not a big market.

I refurbish old Victa 2 strokes & sell them with a longer warantee than comes with a new mower for 1/4 the price of the current equivalent new mower.
However no one will respond to any advertising they all preffer to go to the big box store & pay more for a piece of Chineese land fill with 12 month warrantee and they will happily do that every year.
I sell most by word of mouth and now people are actually comming to the workshop looking for a good old mower or for a $ 5 running trade in & these are the only sales I make.
Usually when I tell them they are $ 100 to $ 300 each I get the same response . " I can get one on ebay for $ 10 " and because they see them on ebay for $ 10 that is all they think they re worth.
It takes a lot of selling to get them to part with the extra cash.

bertsmobile1 said:

It largely goes like this.
Joe public sees the odd one for sale at a few $ so in the back of their minds that is all they are worth, a couple of $.
Collectors usually want to buy the cheapest ones & do the work themselves.
Most customers get hooked on "Newer is better" so it is a hard sell to make them believe a 30 year old mower is worth even thinking about using.
So the only person who will be interested in your mower is someone who is still using their old mower because they appreciate its superior performance for a particular task.
Not a big market.

I refurbish old Victa 2 strokes & sell them with a longer warantee than comes with a new mower for 1/4 the price of the current equivalent new mower.
However no one will respond to any advertising they all preffer to go to the big box store & pay more for a piece of Chineese land fill with 12 month warrantee and they will happily do that every year.
I sell most by word of mouth and now people are actually comming to the workshop looking for a good old mower or for a $ 5 running trade in & these are the only sales I make.
Usually when I tell them they are $ 100 to $ 300 each I get the same response . " I can get one on ebay for $ 10 " and because they see them on ebay for $ 10 that is all they think they re worth.
It takes a lot of selling to get them to part with the extra cash.

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Great post bertsmobile1.

I know things are not the same everywhere.
Around here people I can get top dollar for snapper RERs
People know they was the best mower made and still like them over the new junk that is made now.

Nearly all the old stuff was better beause it was built to do a job in the least time with the least fuss.
So they don't come with all the idiot moron proofing features in order to try & prove Darwin was wrong.
Some of the new features are handy.
Hydro drives make mowing and in particular manoeuvring a lot simpler but so do double cone clutches & varidrives and we have had them since the early 70's AFAIK.
Snappers I am not familiar with as if we got them down here they were rebranded under a local name, but again the only people who will want one over new Yazibiuto is some one who previously owned one and wants another.
This is not a big market and never will be. As you are replacing what was a smalle section of the market who bought a mower for $ 100 20 years ago, conveniently forgetting that $ 100 two years ago was a months wages and expect to pay price depreciated from the original purchase price in todays dollars.
My father bought his first PETROL POWERED PUSH MOWER over 3 years hire purchase. It cost him ｣ 35 at a time when he got paid ｣ 8 / week for 50 hour week and a small car was ｣ 120 .

The best push mower ever built was the Vict Vortex, we sold them to over 100 countries back in the 70's
The USA recognised they were vastly superior to the local mowers so wacked Victa with a massive traunch of "safety feature modifications" none of which local makers had to comply with in order to prevent them being imported.
These mowers are now approaching 50 year old and still working well and good ones go for around $ 100 on the second hand market.
I get $ 200 for them with a 3 year warrantee but usually only after I loan a customer one.
No one ever rings me and asks have I got a Vortex / Mustang-V for sale and in two years I have never had a single response to advertisments for them because Joe Public still thinks second hand mowers are worth $ 20 tops no matter how much reworking has been done to them and how much waranttee you give.

Joe public do not trust or believe the makers warrantees and the proof of that is right here on these pages.
Just about every time a maker honours a warantee claim the claimant gets on here proclaiming their amazement that it actually happened.

My family was a long time Snapper dealer. I'm asked all the time if I have any used Snappers for sale. Over the last five years I've sold 4 used Snapper RER's that I've picked up at Thrift stores etc. I've paid from $75 to $150 for the mowers. $500 is the most I ever got out of any of them once I got it into usable condition. And actually lost money on a couple of them as I sold them after replacing the carburetor and belt and blade and the drive disc and other parts that typically wear out on them. To fully restore one to like new condition with a new engine and new differential in order just to sell, would be throwing money away unless your going to use it yourself. Most you'll get out of it is $500 - $600 total. Unless it is a serious collector, John Public isn't going to want to pay much for a used lawnmower. Especially for one that's 20 - 30 years old no matter how much work you've done to it.

I am restoring an 74 comet snapper RER and I will have more in it than when it was bought new! New it was 365.00 with a new set of chains and grass catcher! It is not going to be sold though it was the first mower riding mower, my dad bought he bought it in 74 died in 1976 at 49 years of age. But they are telling you right you can not get what you put in them back out. I would rather have it than any mower out there! I am replacing just about every part but the main frame and all other original comet parts. New paint on every single part bolts and all new tires bushings bearings all. Still will take me a year to finish took every part off of it!! labor of love.haha take care my friend!!matt dillon

jamesva said:

I am restoring an 74 comet snapper RER and I will have more in it than when it was bought new! New it was 365.00 with a new set of chains and grass catcher! It is not going to be sold though it was the first mower riding mower, my dad bought he bought it in 74 died in 1976 at 49 years of age. But they are telling you right you can not get what you put in them back out. I would rather have it than any mower out there! I am replacing just about every part but the main frame and all other original comet parts. New paint on every single part bolts and all new tires bushings bearings all. Still will take me a year to finish took every part off of it!! labor of love.haha take care my friend!!matt dillon

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$365 in 1974 is just short of $ 5000 in todays money
In 1974 $ 365 would be close to 6 weeks wages.
So you will never have "more in it than it is worth"

Thank you for your support they do not make them like the old snappers and you can still get most parts for them!! I will finish this restoration in spring hopefully and I will try to post pictures of it will have to get my daughter to help me do that I am not that good on the computer yet I have only been using it a few months! Take care hope to talk with you later!Matt Dillon