What to buy??

sthomps, the cat series I am referring to for example is 225,235 excavators.I know the early ones from the late 70's to early 80's did not have electronic engine and hydraulic controls.235's started with A series and i think it ended with D series but i am not sure about 225'S. The 300 series excavators is when Japanese technology came into play with electronics galore and lighter structure to them so they could compete with the competition. My company still has a few 235's around and the boss loves them for easy to trouble shoot and repair nature about them.They are slow when compared to todays standards but they always treated him well and made ALOT of money for him when they were in their prime..

Under another rock

If you own it, eventually it will break. Parts stores/suppliers that are close should be an important decision maker. Machinerytrader.com is a good place to start shopping. Even if you don't find what you want or the price you like, it seems to open other doors. Ask sellers or dealers to point you in another direction.

Welcome to HEF mlepely! :drinkup

thanks mlepely. have looked on this site before. I may have to start talking to people that do move a lot of machines. Does anyone have sugguestions as to what I should look at first on a machine. I'm just thinking that there might be a few things that wear out before others. Warning signs if you will. For instance, I know that if I look at a ford pickup from the 70's,80 or 90 that the first place to look is the inside back wheel wells. If that spot isn't rotted out, than I know its been cared for. Thanks for any advice.

Sthomps, I think these links may help give you some places to start inspecting any used machines you may be interested in. Here's a link to a really good thread on inspecting used excavators, pay particular attention to what Wulf says in post #4 tons of good info.

https://www.heavyequipmentforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=1213

Myself, I like to surf around IronPlanet in my spare time, it's an equipment auction website, but what makes it a little different is they provide very detailed inspection reports. Full of good information. Take a look at a few machines, read the comments the inspector made, LOOK closely at the pictures. You'll start to see what to pay attention to.

Also, they even give you some general tips on how to inspect a machine yourself. Here...

http://www.ironplanet.com/buy/how2inspect_a_used.jsp?eq=Excavator

Now I should say that (I know you already know this, just have to say it) that none of this is meant as a substitute for the opinion of an experienced Mechanic!
I hope this will be helpful to you, if anything is inaccurate, someone please correct me!
Just my 2 cents.

Buying a machine.

By no means am I an expert at buying or a mechanic, but I will share my thoughts when I buy. Have a general idea of what you want. Machine size and application. I own a Hit EX150, not new but a fairly nice exc. I use a spreadsheet with columns, year, make, model, hours, price, condition, options. Now beat the bushes. Start at machinerytrader.com, Iron Planet, traders guides, ebay, classifieds. Fill in the columns noted previous. If you do use a spreadsheet like Excel you can easily determine average prices vs years, hours, etc. It can be a tedious process but it will help to find the best purchases. When you find something of interest and you are physically looking at a machine the general appearance is usually a benckmark. Straight panels, shoes, belly panels, fluid levels, log if available, possibly service dates on the filters, lubrication points. I think the inside of the cab tells a true story, if its a stie with trash and a build up of dirt its likely some service intervals were stretched or missed. Not always true but likely. Usually the best machines are from owner/operators. Other posts had good advice as well. Take your time, you'll find it.