Need advice. Is $300 a good deal for a 41CV with manuals and 2 expansion cartridges?

[Jase]

Hi, the original owner is offering for $300.

HP 41CV, with case and two manuals ("HP-41CV Owner's Manual - Basic Operation" and "HP-41CV Operation in Detail")
The price also includes:
"HP-41 Advantage" cartridge and manual.
"Stress Analysis Pac" cartridge and manual.

The calculator was used (wasn't just put in a closet) but it looks to be well taken care of.

Is this a respectable price?
Any potential "gotchas" I should be on the look out for?

Thanks for any help given.
Jase.

[Siegfried]

Looking at recent auction site prices it seems reasonable for a working unit with manuals.

Whether you need and are willing to pay a premium for manuals is a matter of personal preference, some people find digital copies sufficient or even more appealing as they don't need extra space.

Depending on your intentions, the same is true for the Advantage Pac. If you plan to buy/use/play with different programs a Clonix module might be more useful than the Advantage Pac (unless you want 100% authenticity and don't want any non-period equipment).

[rprosperi]

Are you absolutely certain the seller is legitimate and really has these items to sell; have you seen photos of all the items, do you know him/her prior to this sale, etc.

If unsure, ask the seller to send you a photo of the 41CV displaying some number you tell him to show; this will guarantee the seller truly has the devices and is not simply using photos he found on eBay or reddit, etc.

Assuming all the items are present, and all items are in satisfactory or working condition (e.g. are both modules shown when doing a CAT 2) then IMHO yes, $300 is a fair price.

Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!

[Didier Lachieze]

Battery contacts corrosion due to battery leakage is a frequent issue on HP-41s and is something to check (see the attached picture showing such corrosion on the battery contacts). For $300 I would expect pristine contacts and would not buy a unit showing some corrosion, this is repairable but would add cost and opening the unit to change the battery contacts increase the risk of adding further damage because the aged case plastic is fragile and screw posts can break easily.

[Jase]

Wow, great advice here. Thanks to all of you.

I think it's legit. He was asking $325 for several weeks, and now reduced to $300.
It's a 1.5 hour drive from my house to his, so if it turns out to be a dud, I'll just come back home and justify the trip by listening to some good tunes.

I'm going to think on it. Can't do anything until Saturday anyway.

Thanks again for all the great advice. I'll provide an update.

Jase.

[STOX]

I can give you a better deal. I'll throw in a printer for free.

[Jase]

(10-10-2024 08:22 AM)STOX Wrote:  I can give you a better deal. I'll throw in a printer for free.

Thank you. I'm going to hold off on a 41 for now. Need to regroup and do more research (especially re C, CV, CX).
Plus my wife just got on my case last night

[STOX]

Tell her you got a CX with a printer for 300.

[Steve Simpkin]

(10-11-2024 12:21 PM)Jase Wrote:  

(10-10-2024 08:22 AM)STOX Wrote:  I can give you a better deal. I'll throw in a printer for free.

Thank you. I'm going to hold off on a 41 for now. Need to regroup and do more research (especially re C, CV, CX).
Plus my wife just got on my case last night

As a side note, my wife is very supportive of my calculator... er, hobby...
   

[Hiwi]

From 'Automation' May 1975: