What are used Coleman vacs worth?

[MEP001]

I've been talking to someone who has some Coleman vacs (4 fragrance and 4 shampoo) that have been converted to free vacs with a single pushbutton on the front. All the parts are still there for them to be restored but the brushes/guns/hoses have all been removed. We're both curious if they'd be worth refurbishing and selling as fully working units or if he's better off selling them as-is, although I'd get a cut if I did the work to restore them. What might you pay for either a good condition body or a fully working machine used?

 

[soonermajic]

$750---$1250, depending on how "refurbished" it is & the timers.
I don't know how to fix much, but I do know quite a bit about used equipment.

 

[bighead]

Assuming they are oval and 3 motor vacs with new everything and maybe even dixmor timers, I think you could get close to $3k for the shampoo I’m not sure about the fragrance, probably less than that.... especially from a guy who likes the Coleman vacs and is looking to upgrade.

Customers don’t know the brands, they just know new from old, and working from not working... personally I’m a fan of the way the Coleman’s are built… excluding the timers and the key pad doors...

 

[soonermajic]

Was a guy on talk carwash ads, who worked for a huge Coleman distributor. He had 3 of each, totally restored. Sold them for $1500 each, even w/ LED6S.
Maybe different market you could get $3k...

 

[Earl Weiss]

If they are coin box and the larger units. (as oppose to vault/ smaller ) and fully operational I would be in for one of each at $2000. Not fully operational I would be concerned what issues I would find as I got into it. By the time you replace coin mechs, timers, compressor, frag / shampoo hose you could easily dump $1000 into it.

 

[pgrzes]

I did 2 Coleman wash cleanouts and have refurbed 20 Coleman oval vacs. I would say I put between $$500-$1000 into each depending on the needs. Coleman makes a nice vac. with the large chamber and all the bags in the motors seem to last a lot longer then the old monorails and Adams vacs I had. As is with the internals intact $250-$400 each for 3 motor oval vacs would be my guess on value. I would be interested in all of them for about $2000 for all of them. One of the most difficult things to do on these is removing the large decals off the sides! Once I get them off I leave them off! Stainless is easier to clean then a decal.

 

[Greg Pack]

I've found people who sell them for as little as $500 because they just don't want to fool with them. Just like anything else if you refurb and are patient you can make a little money. Personally I like the round vacs better. I've got some old ovals that don't have a clean out door. '

I think if they are round vacs and in good shape(in service, ready to mount) $1500 if you are willing to wait for a buyer and not someone who is trying to resell. You could get more for ovals

 

[MEP001]

Thanks for the comments, they are oval vacs, and I could probably convert them to 3-motor by grinding off the blockoff plate. I hadn't thought about selling them as anything but as a lot, but from the comments here it might be worth modifying them to order.

 

[Earl Weiss]

I could probably convert them to 3-motor by grinding off the blockoff plate. .

I would not waste time and$ converting them. Thy require heavier wire and breakers as a 3 motor with no real benefit unless customer choose the 3 motor option for more $.

 

[MEP001]

They have 10 gauge wire and 35 amp mercury relays which is plenty for three motors. I wouldn't offer 3-motor vacuums by default, but I know a number of operators that wouldn't do it any other way.

 

[bighead]

I literally just bought 3 shampoo oval vacs with 3 motors for $2500 total and am going to have my guys re-sticker them, get new domes, make sure everything works then put cryptopay on them and put them at a wash i bought a couple years ago and bill them as brand new (and charge a higher price than the JE adams right next to them).

Turns out at another wash I own, the distributor drilled a 3rd hole and wired up a 3rd motor on the oval vacs, so it can be done. I bought the place from the original owner, so i never spotted it until I was instructing my new employee on how to diagnose vac problems a couple years into owning that place.

There was a guy on EBAY selling brand new vacs under a different name, but all they were was modified coleman vacs with the guys own stickers on them. I don't know if he sold any or not.


Think about it: brand new coleman vacs are $6k. If you can get an old shell with new guts for $3k, it doubles the ROI and halves the payback in years (that was for you Robert). Of course, $1250 would be even better. I'm definitely a buyer at $1250 on completely refurbished. Feel free to PM me if you've got some at that price anyone.

 

[Earl Weiss]

.

Turns out at another wash I own, the distributor drilled a 3rd hole and wired up a 3rd motor on the oval vacs, so it can be done. I bought the place from the original owner, so i never spotted it until I was instructing my new employee on how to diagnose vac problems a couple years into owning that place.




.

Do I take that t mean you did not notice any difference in performance from the 2 motor to the 3 motor?

 

[bighead]

Do I take that t mean you did not notice any difference in performance from the 2 motor to the 3 motor?

Lol... no, I knew they were 3 motors, I just didn’t notice that the 3rd hole was drilled until we replaced a motor that covered the hole. Usually my guys test the vacs weekly and do it themselves if they notice something is off, so I’m practically never in there.

Although funny side note: I used to subscribe to the theory that 2 motor was as good as 3 until my wife told me that she liked the vacs at one wash of mine better than the other because of the suction difference. She didn’t know one had 2 motors and the other had 3. I started switching things over to 3 after that.

 

[MEP001]

Although funny side note: I used to subscribe to the theory that 2 motor was as good as 3 until my wife told me that she liked the vacs at one wash of mine better than the other because of the suction difference. She didn’t know one had 2 motors and the other had 3. I started switching things over to 3 after that.

I've been told the same thing, years ago an operator told me his customers preferred the vacs on one island over the other, even though they were identical from the outside and were the same price/time. He said they told him they worked better. He didn't even know the more popular vacs were three-motor and the others were two.

 

[soonermajic]

cap732000 showed me a trick. Put your motors down on silicone, & they're 100% sealed up. Increases your suction by about 15%---20%. Customers LOVE it, & it is just as good as 3 motors, imho. We have started advertising them as "Turbo" motors & went up by .25! ZER0 complaints on the increase, just lots of compliments on the increased suction!

 

[Earl Weiss]

cap732000 showed me a trick. Put your motors down on silicone,

How much time does it take to unglue them and remove residue?

I have 3 motor vacs - D & S. (14) Really don't see any difference between those and 2 motor units if they all have clean bags and screens.

 

[MEP001]

cap732000 showed me a trick. Put your motors down on silicone, & they're 100% sealed up. Increases your suction by about 15%---20%. Customers LOVE it, & it is just as good as 3 motors, imho. We have started advertising them as "Turbo" motors & went up by .25! ZER0 complaints on the increase, just lots of compliments on the increased suction!

Silicone them down instead of what? Sit them on the stainless with no gasket? Do you silicone the cleanout doors too, because surely there's a lot more chance of losing suction there than under the motors.

 

[soonermajic]

silicone around the gaskets. If there is any extra curvature to your top, or maybe gasket isn't the best (or old) etc.... All I know is there was a DISCERNABLE difference in production & everyone thinks we have "TURBO MOTORS". ha

 

[soonermajic]

I have a Doyle Fresh Impressions, which is their top of the line vac & $7750 new, & I'm selling it. MEP did most of the refurbing on it. These are items replaced brand new: LED lights, motors, filter bags, Mercury relay, 4 stack selection switch (took half a day to rewire), Decals, Fragrance hose, Shampoo hose, fragrance solenoids, & locks. I'm only asking $1900, obo, which is far less than I have in it! Text or call, NOT message on here: 409)200-4667