Sale of 3 wheelers back in 87'-90'

[Bill X_R]

Back when they stopped selling ATC's I was only 17 or so. I was also not really into them at that time in my life. My question is....What where they selling for at that point? I'm sure there was some screamin' deals to be had. Anyone got any stories? or remember what thet were selling for?

[dirtface]

I know in PA the liquid atc250rs and the 350xs have never really dropped below a grand. And I know with my luck, if you found one for less it was close to a miracle. Me and my brother both bought 350xs in the early 90s and both of them were a grand.

[Dammit!]

Got a mint 1986 R with a built motor for $1000 in 1989. Still have it (it's the one in my sig). I would see them back then for anywhere from $700 for a beater to $1200 for really nice ones. Rarely would you ever see somebody asking for more than that and expect to get it.

[JLurch58]

I have noticed in my area the prices of the water cooled Rs have gone way up(reason I got my air cooled r for $300) because the motors work in the newer r quads and alot of guys that race micro-sprints use 250r water cooled engines

[markdb420]

I got my almost mint 85 ATC 250r in late 87 early 88 and it was $700. I purchased it from a dealer that had taken it on trade for a 4 wheeler. Those were the days when all were scared of the 3 wheeled atv's and they could be had cheap around here!

[Pistonhead]

Yeah now it seems alot of people have finally got enough wood to buy trikes and actually ride them, so now everyone thinks a watercooler is worth its weight in gold!

[J La]

I bought a brand new '85 350X in January of '88. I rolled it off of the showroom floor myself. I paid a little over $1900 for it.

[Howdy]

Back in 89 to about 92-93 we were able to find great deals on 3 wheelers. We bought as many as we could find and afford. I know we bought a barn full in 1 year. Quite a few people made us sign a paper saying we would come back on them if a accident happened.

I remember driving by this one farm and seeing a 1980 ATC110 beside the barn. We stopped in and ask if he was interested in selling it. He said "Nope, but I will help you load it up". We took it back to the shop put a tube in the one tire, put gas in the tank and fired it right up. The next day another guy stopped buy and seen it. The 110 was nice and we didn't have any plans on selling it yet. But this guy wanted it and he made us a offer we couldn't refuse ( $450 ). It would have been foolish to say no.

Another one was a lady called us and said she had a atc90 for sale. W ask here the condition of it and how much she wanted. She said it didn't run, the headlight was missing, and it had a flat tire. She then said she wanted it out of there soon. She told us she would sell it for $25. So we said we would be there Friday ( it was a hour away ). The next day ( Wed ) a guy calls from the same area and says he had a 84 or 85 atc125m he wanted to sell. He wanted $125 for it. We agreed and told him we would be there Friday. Friday came and we went on the road trip. We stopped in for the atc90. They had the 3 wheeler parked in the driveway with a note on it. She was wrong, it wasn't a 90 at all, it was a real nice ATC70. The note said "Howdy, Here is the atc90 3 wheeler we talked about. If you don't feel it's worth $25 you can just leave what you think it's worth in the mail box. Thanks" I wrote her a check for $25 and loaded the 3 wheeler in the back of my 88 mercury Tracer. Pickle and me was completely suprized at the deal. We then headed North of town to get the 125m. When we got there the guy seen the other 3 wheeler in the car and laught. He showed us the 125m and told us he couldn't get it running. Since it wasn't running he would sell it for $75. We told him we would take it. He ask when we would be back to pick it up. We told him we would take it with us. He said we didn't have enough room. I told him we did. He told us if we could fit it in the car with the hatch closed we could have it for $25. He said to see us fit it in there would be worth the $50. I grabbed my tool box and took a few things off and got the 3 wheeler in there ( IT WAS TIGHT though ). Pickle had to hold a couple parts on his lap the whole way back, but for $50 it was worth it.
Once back at the shop we checked out the atc70. The tire was flat because of a broken valve stem. It had great spark and good compression, but the gas tank was emty. We put gas in it and it fired up. We ended up cleaning the Carb and changing the oil. We rode it around as the shop trike ( got to have a cheap machine for this ). One of our friends was over and riding it around the yard about 2-3 weeks later ( He is over 200lbs ) and a lady stopped him and ask if it was for sale. Tony said "everything is for sale for the right price". He ended up selling the ATC70 to her and he even delivered it. I don't know what he got out of it. But I do know everyone was happy. This was probably 14 years ago and the last I knew the lady still had it.

That is just a couple of many dealings. We have had a lot of "Funny" ones. It sure has been fun. Yes, we have lost our rears on some machines, but all and all we are ahead ( we got a lot of toys now, lol ).
Howdy