AngryChris Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I have the option to buy some accounts in the next few months. The bad part of the deal is that many of these machines are old AP 500's, lektrovend, and Rowe snacks. I am VERY unfamiliar with equipment that old. I was told that the AP 500's were upgraded to use a standard coin mech (quarters dimes nickels). The neutral part is that the majority of the soda machines are dixie narcos. They are probably mostly 501's, 368's, and 501e's. The good part is that I could buy (for example) an AP 500 with a DN 501 for about $400 in an account that may gross $1400 in a year. My mentality is that I could greatly increase my net profits and probably hold onto these accounts for a while until I find better locations for the soda machines. I could scrap the snack machines if I remove the soda. My question is this: how hard/expensive do you guys think it will be to maintain those snack machines? I figure I could buy about $3000 worth and probably increase my net profits by over $400/month. Some of these accounts are much better but I was just giving one example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walta Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Your example account is the kind of account that will put you out of business. You cannot stop your truck to service an account that is grossing 17.50 per machine a week. AP 500, Lektrovend have a zero value and single price Dixie is not worth 400.00 today. Walta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 If you decide to pull the trigger on this I can supply must of the parts to keep the Rowe machines running, some for the 500's and a few for the Lektrovends. The oldest of them is the 500's and they will give you the most trouble. The Lektrovends have the scarcest parts and the Rowes are superior to either of those, with the 4900's are from the early 90's and any 5900's from the late 90's. I think the gross sales should be the major factor and you need to evaluate if each account could pay for an upgraded machine - because you will be having to do that. If your intent is to get the soda machines then evaluate each location on the value of the sodas only. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allen watson Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I have a handful of the AP500's on my route and must say they are pretty dependable. They have some quirks not found in my other machines but are very good in rough accounts with lots of dust/heat/moisture, etc. I keep 4 spares just for parts. I am slowly replacing these older units but will sure miss them when they are gone. I recently took 6 AP500's to the scrap yard and watched a huge claw grab four of them and pitch them high in to the air onto the top of a huge pile of metal. It kind of gave me chills watching 4 snack machines flying thru the air, tumbling end over end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moondog Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I have the option to buy some accounts in the next few months. The bad part of the deal is that many of these machines are old AP 500's, lektrovend, and Rowe snacks. I am VERY unfamiliar with equipment that old. I was told that the AP 500's were upgraded to use a standard coin mech (quarters dimes nickels). The neutral part is that the majority of the soda machines are dixie narcos. They are probably mostly 501's, 368's, and 501e's. The good part is that I could buy (for example) an AP 500 with a DN 501 for about $400 in an account that may gross $1400 in a year. My mentality is that I could greatly increase my net profits and probably hold onto these accounts for a while until I find better locations for the soda machines. I could scrap the snack machines if I remove the soda. My question is this: how hard/expensive do you guys think it will be to maintain those snack machines? I figure I could buy about $3000 worth and probably increase my net profits by over $400/month. Some of these accounts are much better but I was just giving one example. I'm with Walt on this one - given that low grossing example, you'd be wiser to fully stock the accounts you already have so you can move to an every other week service schedule rather than spending that money on weak accounts with obsolete equipment that will eat more time than they're worth. I'm not saying that $400 is a bad price for those two machines but do you really want that type of account? Every time you have to swap out a validator, your profits will be shot for that month - I've been there and it's like chasing your own tail. I have a handful of the AP500's on my route and must say they are pretty dependable. They have some quirks not found in my other machines but are very good in rough accounts with lots of dust/heat/moisture, etc. I keep 4 spares just for parts. I am slowly replacing these older units but will sure miss them when they are gone. I recently took 6 AP500's to the scrap yard and watched a huge claw grab four of them and pitch them high in to the air onto the top of a huge pile of metal. It kind of gave me chills watching 4 snack machines flying thru the air, tumbling end over end. Since when was too much moisture a problem in Barstow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 Thank you for your replies everyone. This is not a package deal so I get to pick and choose. I am just trying to see if I can turn a profit for a few years and hold onto some of those assets for better accounts. Some of my best can-only accounts were small accounts that grew into larger accounts and I would like to take a risk on some of these. It seems like the Rowes are the only machines worth upgrading a bill acceptor but that's only if the machine is in tip-top shape. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris in bc Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 save your money and "inputs" for something better! Summer is around the corner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryChris Posted April 5, 2014 Author Share Posted April 5, 2014 Update: So far, I am looking at roughly $10,250/year in gross revenue for a purchase price of $3700. It will easily pay for itself within one year. The guy I am working with (who is actually purchasing the route) might sell me some other (better) accounts as well to sweeten the deal, but this is all I am looking at so far. The terms are very favorable to me as I [most likely] won't have to pay more than 35% of the purchase price up-front AND the machines might come stocked with product (free) but I have to pay for the coins in the coin mechs (which is normal practice). One question is this: One of these accounts has a DN 414. How do these compare to 501/368 models? I have SEVERAL 501's but this would be my only 414. I'm sure I have filled them in the past. Are these machines pretty easy to upgrade to Mars VN's? I'm under the impression that all of the soda machines have already been upgraded but I am still curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AZVendor Posted April 5, 2014 Share Posted April 5, 2014 The DN414 is a 79" machine in the footprint of a DN440 but it has nine columns - one wide and 8 narrow and they are all 2 cans deep. You can do any validator in this as you can with other DN single price machines. It is one heavy mother with all the steel between the narrow columns though, so try not to move it anywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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