How do you determine what to pay for a project saw?

Apparently CAD has set in. Up to a few weeks ago I was happy with my farm boss. But now that I know what Ive been missing out on I need more saws!

Problem is I can do everything I need to with my two saws. So I can't justify paying for new or good running saws.
Which means I need a project saw

So how much do you pay for a project and what do you look for?

Here is a 372xp, five years old. From a guy who said it has moderate use. He cuts 50 cord of firewood a year.

Seized piston. No bar and chain. Said it was not straight gassed. Froze up during use and he parked it. Sounds like a bearing let go? Wants 150 firm. What would you pay?

Check out adhuntr.com and search for all the used Husky 372XP currently on craigslist, they run from $350 to $550 with bar and chain. A new one is $775, free shipping.

Meteor C&P kit $150 plus shipping from Bailey's, plus bar and chain, seals, gaskets, modifiable muffler, could really add up. Plus if the bottom end is just plain wore out and you need a carb rebuilt... Dunno, the saw in the photo looks pretty beat at any price.

I wouldnt call 50 cord per year 'moderate use'. As much as that needs in parts + labor,I'd offer him no more than $75.Otherwise I'd pass.Looks beat to death.

Although you could probably get $100 easily by parting it out.....

I thought he was way overpriced. But then you see saws missing more parts go for crazy money on eBay. Didn't know what I was missing?

This is interesting too - I've been wondering about a lot of saws that I've seen on CL lately, and wondering if it could be possible to part out for $. Cheers!

You had better count on there always being something else to fix that you had not noticed too. I picked up a decent "plain" 036 that ran great and did not seem to have a single thing wrong with it that I could find for "$162.50" (the 036 and an 029 Super for $325, $162.50 ea). Upon breaking it down to clean it all up I discovered that the sprocket was real "wobbly" on the bearing. Turned out the early 034 & 036 saws came with the "regular" small bearing used on the other smaller Stihls, they didn't hold up to "Pro" use and wore out. I was lucky that I only had to replace the sprocket and bearing with one of the new large bearing "Pro" sprockets. Many times the crank shaft became worn too and needed replaced, along with the quickstop band. I got off cheap.

If you intend to dive into the bottom end of that saw, plan on $100 worth of tools to get it done. You need a way to split the case for a bearing replacement and that's not easy to do without some specialized tools. I've seen one setup selling on eBay for $80. If the top end is good (pull the muffler and look at the piston) and it just needs bearings, then $150 is a crapshoot. You could get it done and double your money or you could barely break even. Hopefully the crankshaft assembly is still serviceable. That saw looks like it may need a few minor items addressed as well. Cosmetics are everything when it comes to resale value.