Quoth Dwight K. Elvey:
I know someone that has a 11/45. I've been
thinking
of making an offer on it but have no idea what people
consider the going rate for such a machine. Does
anyone have any idea? I don't want to insult him
but then I don't want to pay way beyond what I could
get one elsewhere.
I'm not sure there is an objective answer to that question; some people
wouldn't let a vintage DEC machine go unless there are several thousand
dollars involved, while others actually will give them away to good
homes (or, in one horrible instance I was too late to prevent, actually
just throw the machine into a dumpster because "it's so old nobody could
_possibly_ have a use for it"... and this was an 11/45 in a pedestal-mount
case, damn, damn, damn).
I suspect the best approach is to offer what you think the machine is
worth to _you_. Some people may feel slighted, others may think you're
being idiotically generous, but in the end if you're making an offer
which seems reasonable and fair to you it's probably safe ground.
I think the value of these machines to various people is so subjective
that it's hard to give any good answer without knowing everything about
them... but you _can_ know what it's worth to you, so it's probably best
to start there and hope for the best.
(...Listen! Is that the sweet whisper of the "someone-should-write-a-
-price-guide-for-vintage-computers" thread coming our way?...)
-O.-
(...If it is, run! _Run!_...)