I'm NOT a collector - but need your advice...

[Pat Pixley]

Real sorry about that Cindy, One will show up soon , like
Josh said he has had about 25  myself maybe 10 these
machines are out there so don't worry .

  Pat

[cjohnson]

Take your time. You will find one. I have had probably 25 Cavalier 64's and I have never paid more than $200 for one. Just be patient. If you run an ad in the newspaper under the antiques column chances are you will be overwhelmed with calls.

Well, that is an idea... if I do that - what on earth does the ad say?  I don't want to get stuck with something that doesn't run and that my husband has to repair before we can even use.  But, he will definitely be willing to maintain it...

Any help with what to say in an ad?  I want to get the verbage right so I don't sound like a complete idiot out there...

Also, just to be sure - the Cavalier 64's or Vendo 56 or 63 (which someone recommended is what I need), that will hold bottles, right?  And, I assume I can buy bottles somewhere online?  He really loves the coke bottles - and I want to make sure I get something that makes sense.

Thanks!!!

[Pat Pixley]

Cindy do you live near a Sams Club They have Coke in the glass bottles
and some sell Orange crush  and the other flavors and maybe IBC Root beer.

Josh is the man for the help on the ad deal  he is the man for that.
Just a quick note  still keep your eye's open on ebay one may show up in your
area.

 Pat

[Kilroy]

And don't forget you can specify  searches by  distance, price and keywords coke on Ebay, and send you email alerts, no sense looking at machines cross country.

[loman4ec]

I would always run an ad in the antiques section NOT in the wanted section. say something like

Looking to buy 1950's and 60's Coke bottle vending machines. Must run and cool. Call or email to XXXXXXXX


You will get a lot of calls. A lot of people think that because they have something old that says Coke they can retire on its value. Don't let these get you down. I usually got 1 good call for every 8 to 10 useless calls. When you go see a machine if you are not sure about it just take some photos and get a price  and post it here and we will tell you what to do.

[loman4ec]

I wanted to post some pictures here so you have a better idea of what we are suggesting to you. You have already seen what a Cavalier CS-64 looks like as that is what you bid on.

I would also suggest a Cavalier USS-64. They are a shelf machine like the standard cavalier 64 but they will vend both bottles and cans. They are a great garage machine because you can vend anything in them. That is the first picture.

The second picture is of a vendo 56. This is a nice compact little machine. It vends 56 bottles. They are easy to work on and parts are easy to find. they can also still be bought rather cheep.

The Third pic is a vendo 63. These are slightly more expensive than the 56 because they are better looking. This is an early model and the most sought after.

[halehouse]

Like Josh said, the USS machines are pretty versatile.  See how the bottle slot openings are round on the bottle only machine?  On the USS Cavalier machine, they are square with a knob that turns to deliver the product. 

Josh, which can/bottle machine has the little "flap" or "tab" you pull?

[SIGNGUY]

....and do get discouraged by how the machine looks at first... most will be pretty beat up or ugly Like the woodgrain ones... but with a little time , one can get pretty cleaned up and repainted either by a pro or just with some spray paint and decals for the garage if you jsut want it to look nicer than the ugly brown...
Good luck

[MoonDawg]

....and do get discouraged by how the machine looks at first...

       He means "don't" get discouraged.

       Found this in my Craigslist a few weeks ago.
        http://ventura.craigslist.org/clt/453675382.html

       Well seller soon realized $500 was way too much. End of the
month came and this machine had to go. I was willing to offer
$50.00 to $100.00..........but ended up getting it for free 

       The refrigeration problem?   The drain hose was keeping the
lower fanmotor from spinning. It works perfect.

       You will find yours too Cindy.

[davethebirdman]

As the proud new owner of a Westighouse 44SK may I suggest that as a possible contender.
Smalland versitile with a crank handle.... I like it anyway... Dave