Reasonable cost for a C64?

McBean4000 · Post by **McBean4000** » Sat Jul 18, 2020 1:16 pm

Hi All,

I really enjoy watching the 8 Bit Guy. I especially liked the videos about the C64. I had a TRS-80 as a kid but found it an overwhelming experience by myself. I'm sure I'll get an X16 when available. I'm also interested in getting a C64.

I know this might be a difficult question to answer; What would be a reasonable price for a C64, monitor, disk drive, tape drive, joystick? There is someone selling this near me and I'm thinking of getting it. They also claim to have tons of software.

Can you give me some tips when I go look at it? I'll make sure to see something load from the disk and tape drive before I buy. Are there any common ways this equipment breaks down?

TomXP411 · Post by **TomXP411** » Sat Jul 18, 2020 8:03 pm

Reasonable changes by country.

In the US, I would expect to pay around $100-150 for a C64, $100 for a 1641, and maybe $25-40 for a C2N. I bought a 1701 for $75 a couple of years ago and felt that was a fair price at the time.

by all accounts, prices are lower in the UK, but I haven’t researched specifics, since I don’t live there.

other parts of the world.... it’s all about availability and negotiation.

Perifractic · Post by **Perifractic** » Sun Jul 19, 2020 1:28 am

Good question. Tom is right. You might also find this video helpful ?

Full disclosure: It's by me ?

Your friend in retro, Perifractic

McBean4000 · Post by **McBean4000** » Mon Jul 20, 2020 10:44 pm

Thanks for the input. Both of you. I guess its worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it. I think they are asking a premium price, but getting everything in one purchase is too easy. I'll pay for less aggravation. That video was exactly what I was looking for! I feel kinda silly because I should have known to look for dried out capacitors. Assuming they are original, I should replace them anyway. The safety gadget for the power supply is a good idea as well.

evolutional · Post by **evolutional** » Wed Jul 22, 2020 7:19 pm

One thing about C64's (and other old computers) is that they tend to have faults. With the commodores especially, the custom chips and ROMs tend to go bad. And be careful of those exploding power supply caps!

Getting something like a C64 you'll probably pay more and refurbished/tested/fixed it, less if it's "untested" (which normally means there's a fault, but the owner won't admit it...)