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Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!ut-sally!ut-ngp!werner
From: werner@ut-ngp.UUCP (Werner Uhrig)
Newsgroups: net.micro.mac
Subject: Re: Uppity behavior creeping in...
Message-ID: <3899@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 30-Aug-86 10:04:20 EDT
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.3899
Posted: Sat Aug 30 10:04:20 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 30-Aug-86 21:33:13 EDT
References: <578@rosevax.UUCP>
Organization: UTexas Computation Center, Austin, Texas
Lines: 57
Keywords: Don't forget us po' folk; a bit long
Summary: sorry, you feel that way ....


I'm sorry, Andy felt that my statement (below) was disregarding the interest
of "the poor":

> >From: werner@ut-ngp.UUCP (Werner Uhrig)
> >Subject: Re: Mac for SALE!
> >Message-ID: <3864@ut-ngp.UUCP>
> >
> >... I'd advise my friends to refuse to pay more than $1000, especially as the
> >400K drives are next to useless today.
>                  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> Really Werner, this is a bit prejudiced.  More below.....
 
I now feel that my phrasing was a bit unfortunate, and I would like to correct
it to read:

> >... I'd advise my friends to refuse to pay more than $1000, according to
> >the following calculation:
> >	dealer price of the CURRENT MODEL (i.e Mac+):	~1300
> > (minus) upgrade cost of MAC as sold to Mac+:	~ 300 (drive+ROM)
> >                                                       600 (1Meg board)
> >                                              ==============
> >                                                      $400
> >
> >	Close-out sales prices of ImageWriter-I        $150
> >	Value of a 400K used external drive		 $ 50

> >	Total value of package (in good repair)		 $600
> > (minus) cost of inspection to qualify for AppleCare  $ 50
> >                                               ==============
> >	Retail Value                                     $550
> >	Loan Value (70% max, 24 month at 16%)		 $385

Local pawn shops would, probably, pay even less than that.  (yes, I know,
we all dislike them.  but that's reality)  Now all I'd have to do, is put out
the word to the local pawn-shops that I'd buy used MACs, and for them to call
me when they have CLEAN merchandise, and I have no doubt that I'll get
something within a matter of a few weeks for less than $1000.

Face it, when you buy a new car, you lose 30% even before you start the
engine to drive off the lot.  With computers it must be 50%.  Annual
depreciation is 33%.  I think, especially a poor person, should not get
ripped off because of not knowing how to calculate like a banker or a merchant.
It's not their (poor persons) fault that used items loose value so quickly,
so why should they be willing to pay more? (and they frequently do)

I think, an OLD Mac is a great machine (and I am truely prejudiced) ....
It would have been worth more than a $1,000,000 fifteen years ago, it may be
worth that again a hundred years from now (as a collector's item).  but in the
meantime, .....

[ at this point, Mickey started to squeal miserably, and I had to assure him
 that, to me, he is priceless, and that I'd never give him away ...., besides,
 look at all the improvements: air-conditioning, stereo sound, video output,
 megabytes of RAM, SCSI-port ... heck, worth more than Minnie MacPlus over
 there .... shucks, I forgot she was connected and catching every word of this
 ... folks, I got to go, I have somewhat of an emergency here .... ]