Vent: My $200 "deal" on a power washer turned into a $90 repair bill

I was so excited last month when I snagged what looked like a barely used power washer on Facebook Marketplace for $200. The guy said it just needed a new carburetor, but I figured I could handle that since I work at a hardware store and see folks fix these all the time. I got it home, watched a YouTube video, and spent a Saturday afternoon swapping the carb. When I finally got it to start, the pump seized up after like 2 minutes of running, making this awful grinding noise. Turns out the previous owner had let the thing freeze solid over winter and cracked the pump head. I ended up buying a new pump for $90, plus the $15 carb I already bought, so my "steal" is now over $300 deep into a machine worth maybe $250 working. Has anyone else fallen for the "just needs a small fix" deal on marketplace and ended up in deeper than you planned?

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1 Comment

sage_perry11d ago

oof, that hurts. been there with a snowblower once.