[Info-vax] Prices of Microvax 3100's

[Paul Sture]

On Thu, 03 May 2012 18:58:27 +0000, Phillip Helbig---undress to reply
wrote:

> In article
> <ff46b4ee-225b-4ae5-90cc-40bf2a1212c7 at l3g2000vbv.googlegroups.com>, AEF
> <spamsink2001 at yahoo.com> writes:
> 
>> Went to ebay to check this out. Entered "Microvax 3100" and got some
>> interesting results. A model 90 w/ 64MB for $3183. Is this for real?
>> There's a 3100/98 system going for $3950. I see other variations
>> ranging from $49 (1 bid) to $3175. Are these things really worth this
>> much?
> 
> It is worth whatever one pays for it.  A hundred-year-old painting which
> I think is done well but doesn't require that much skill just sold for
> more than 100 million.

That's a good point.  It depends on how much the buyer wants it and what 
the competition are prepared to pay.
 
> I bought one new VMS machine, a new 255/233 for about £4000.  (At the
> time, ALPHA was so knew that there were few used machines and if so
> would have cost too much; I loved the VAX but needed ALPHA for
> Fortran90, so I had no choice.)

Back in about 1987 I heard tales of MicroVAX IIs being being available 
for about 10,000 GBP second hand.  That was the first time I had realised 
that getting a decent workhouse at home was achievable. OK, that was the 
price of a luxury car but it was achievable.  Unfortunately getting hold 
of one proved to be somewhat more difficult.  What actually happened was 
that instead of selling MicroVAX II's when it came to time to upgrade 
them, they were getting passed to other departments within a company.

-- 
Paul Sture