New collecting path???

[Hector]

Those are the kinda sellers I like!

[Drzsmith]

The vending company i work for sells used but working pop macines for around 100 id offer her 50 if it doesnt work.

[Mego MkIV]

That's awesome Boss I haven't seen one those since 1979 I hope its working.

[Marvelmania]

I'd get it as long as the bottom isn't rusted out and you have the space for it. I had the chance to pick up an older coke machine for the same price and passed. I've regretted it for years now.

[Mongoose1983]

I'd say it's an excellent purchase. Not only because since it's been so long since I last had a chance to enjoy some Dr. Pepper myself, but because it's cheap, and you will sure have lots of fun bringing it back to life. So get your tool box, a dremel, and some metal brushes working. Dismantle it, and polish the moving parts, and, if needed, replace the parts that might be worn.

Again, that looks like a great purchase!

[boss]

The vending company i work for sells used but working pop macines for around 100 id offer her 50 if it doesnt work.

Does your company have a website?

[Nostalgiabuff]

for $100 I would buy it. it's not a whole lot of money to risk and would be an awesome piece in your man cave(if you have one) or in the garage

[huedell]

The Dr. Pepper branding makes a world of difference to me. I think finding a pristine Dr. Pepper machine in my area would be tough. I'll pass on 10 awesome Coke machine to get one decent Dr. P.

Sucks no one can give ya a definitive answer on how rare that thing is w/"working condition and aesthetic" quantification caveats... because that's what it ultimately comes down to. I bought a Star Wars stand-up arcade game because I wanted piece of that game's history... but, of course, the going rate for something like that is more easy to research than a soda vending machine. My GUT says to buy it and just see what happens. $100 ain't gonna dent your wallet for very long. It's like buying a car to refurbish... the "fix-up journey" may be just as cool as the finished refurbished piece itself. Good luck!

EDITED TO ADD: See if you can contact drz's contact for more info... that might be real helpful in putting things in perspective.
ALSO: I missed mongoose's post... but, yeah, I agree that fixing it up should be fun!

[boss]

I'm not too concerned with the rarity and value at this point. I'm just a nut for Dr. Pepper and have been considering getting an older soda vending machine. I'd actually prefer it to be about 10 years older, but beggars can't be choosers.

For full disclosure... I also just picked up a 1950's metal Coke cooler (It's pretty cool, too)

[VintageMike]

Looks cool and if that's the attraction go for it.

[Relic]

You can hardly buy a good pair of shoes now for 100 bucks. Even if doesn't work just diplay it.

[megocrazy]

You can hardly buy a good pair of shoes now for 100 bucks. Even if doesn't work just diplay it.

I agree. Even if you just clean it up and display it, it's probably worth the $100. You can probably get the lights to work and if the mechanism does work, probably recoup $25-$35 for that on ebay. Would still look cool even if you only wire it with lights to make it look operational. I just passed on a Coke machine last week. It worked but was rough. Still had the original keys but was one of the more common versions. If you've got the room grab it. I may be able to locate some vintage DP bottles if you do. I have an almost complete wood rack of unopened Coke shorties.

[huedell]

I'm not too concerned with the rarity and value at this point.

My implication was that if you knew more about that stuff, then your decision would be easier.

I'm just a nut for Dr. Pepper and have been considering getting an older soda vending machine. I'd actually prefer it to be about 10 years older, but beggars can't be choosers.

With that known, rarity/value kind of info on BOTH era machines might make your decision VERY much easier!

[boss]

Good news so far. We moved the machine to my neighbor's auto repair business this morning and let it set for a few hours. We plugged it in about 30 minutes ago and it started humming (in a good, condenser may be working kind of way). I'm going to head back in a couple of hours and see if it's actually cooling inside.

I also put in a dime just to see what would happen and it ate my money. Sounds like it's working perfectly. ;-)

[Marvelmania]

Maybe the new owner can get you your dime back LOL. Man, working or not you can't beat that for $100!!!! So happy you grabbed it!