the Cavalier that got away

[Ben]

I was pretty excited to see a cavalier 72 and a Vendo 63 and a Dr. Pepper machine on craigs list for $999 last Saturday morning, the add had been placed Friday afternoon. I emailed back saying I was definitely interested. The Cavalier looked to be in pretty good condition, the other two, not so much.  Waited all day, that night I got a reply saying the Cavalier sold within hours after posting. So, he said he would sell the other two for $200 and that they had been in storage since 1990 and he didn't think they worked. I payed $150, at $75 per machine, maybe I could sell them for parts. Anyway... I got them home plugged them in, and they both work fine. Cooled down nicely, fans working... So the Dr Pepper Machine is odd... It is a Cornelius Selectivend 96. Does anyone know why there are two companies' names on the same machine? See Pictures Below

[mygoose101]

That 63 is nice. Light up too.

[Pixel]

The title of this post strikes a chord with me, though the one that got away from me wasn't a round top.

Even though they might not have been exactly what you wanted, I'd say you did very well anyway. So what if their square tops? For that price getting two solid, working machines is very much a good deal, especially if they're all there.

[tkaz]

Nice couple of pickups, the Vendo 63 is a great machine, I easily would have paid $150 for just that one.  Cornelius bought the Selectivend company in 1967, the machine may be from around that time when they were using both names still.

[Ben]

Thanks for the info on the Dr Pepper Machine.  The vendo is missing the coin mechanism. The seller said he has is it somewhere and will get it to me.  I'm not holding my breath. The Dr. Pepper machine would be a neat machine if it were cleaned up. It has a fluorescent light in the drink door (bulb missing). I can't tell if Dr. Pepper sign is lit, but the correct change only light does work.  The Vendo is rough on the inside; shelves bent, bottle mechanism rusty. The compressor is working, but I think the fan/fans either weren't working or stopped.  All the wiring is brittle, so I'm just keeping it unplugged for now.

[coke_and_stuff]

Shelves on the 63 probably aren't bent. They have a factory kink in them that's the way they were made.

[Ezra]

I think the Cav 72 is nice as a 81 if not better because of the automation and lights.  I wish it had a light in the bottle door way.  Don't worry about missing it.  there seem to be a lot of cav 72 out there.  bought one for $1000 (pic) complete and nice. within a month another popped up very very nice original but he wants 2500$.  called him and explained their value and offered 1600, he couldn't hang up quick enough but kept my number.  two weeks later he has called me saying "come get it for 1800". nope, its still at his house.  basically my point is $1000 max for a complete nice one with light rust.  $1500 for a cherry one.  .......but what do I know

[MaineT]

As you can see, $1000 is the quick sale flipper price for a good one! I had an offer of $1500 on my nice cherry one and wouldn't take it. He was even going to pay to ship it so tack on another $300 from a "what will someone pay" price. Just because they aren't near you, doesn't mean your machine is worth any less.

It is one of the more common machines. Keep your eye out, they pop a lot.

[Ben]

Thanks for the feedback.  This is the second one I've missed. The first one was an old rancher's estate auction (when I new even less about soda machines) I stopped at $700, another guy got it for $800.  He claimed he could double his money on it.... Then he showed me pictures of his "garage;" Basically the walls were lined with vintage coke machines and gas pumps...But hey, my shed is lined with 4 (yes that pretty much lines my shed..) clunkers that I hope to refurbish and/or restore someday... just for the fun of tinkering.

[Ben]

Nice People! - I bought a Dr. Pepper (Cornelius/Vendo) and a Vendo 63 a couple of weeks ago (missed the Cavalier). The Vendo was missing the coin mech. The owner said if he found it he would get it to me.  I was pretty sure that wouldn't happen because I only paid $150 for both machines and I lived 60 miles away.  I got a call this week saying he would be driving from Dallas to Austin and he would drop by Salado (my home town) with the coin mechanism.  He did. I installed the coin mech, plugged in the machine, and it worked perfectly. I left it plugged in long enough to cool down the cokes, put in another dime, and enjoyed a cold coca cola... nice.  Then I unplugged it (I'm afraid the brittle wire is going to short and fry the machine)..  but the experience was very cool.  The Vendo has gone to the top of the list for refurbishing/restoring.

 Anyway, it's refreshing to see someone go out of their way on a $150 deal.