You won't Belive this! MK Terrova Deal I Got!
I had to share this, I am just so happy right now! A little over a week ago I message'd a member here about how he found his Terrova. He stated that I should watch Craigslist as that is how he found his used unit at a good value. So my search began! Immediately I found (3), but one of these caught my eye! I am usually weary of Craigslist although everything I've ever purchased has worked out well. This ad was not from an individual, but rather a Bussiness! In fact the listing described the unit and the pictures appeared as the Terrova was still in the box. My notes reflect what was stated:
MinnKota Terrova, 55/US2/I-Pilot. 54" shaft, integrated GPS, Auto Pilot, $475.00
Yep that's right $475.00!!!
I had to call and ask. I spoke to the Manager and he confirmed it was new in the box, never sold, never used!
My next question was, What guarantee do you offer? His reply, "our store Policy is 7 days, if you find it unsatisfactory then return it for a full refund". I said " I'll take it". I wanted to snatch this puppy up before someone else did, but I had a problem. This Terrova was in Gulf Port, MS and I am 6hrs away! He said "I will reserve it for you when can you pick it up?". I said Tuesday Sept 10th. done deal!
To be honest I was really Leary at this point, but the man was so down to earth. During our conversation I tried everything to get it shipped to me, or to even pay a deposit so I wouldn't miss out! He said he didn't ship items that it was a walk in only, and he did not like taking credit cards over the phone because he had no verification that I was that person. This sounded down to earth and honest, so we ended the talk. My name was on it until Tuesday at closing.
Just my bum luck, my father in law goes in the ER on Monday night and long story short screwed my plans up, ended up he was fine! But, I had to call Jim the manager and explain. "No problem, we will hold it for you". Wow, I will be there Friday I said! Well, on Thursday evening we got a call! My wife had been to the Dr. to have a spot checked on her back. Dr. Said it is MELENOMA!!! Oh Lord, and we were scheduled to be there the next morning for a procedure to remove it. We did and everything is going well, she is recovering and we are awaiting more results. So, I am really shook up about her condition and the trolling motor is not an issue at this point. I just thought, oh well it's not meant to be. We are lucky that she caught it early, maybe stage one, or possibly early stage two! But, this will be something that we have to wait on more results. She has a nasty cut in her back nearly 3 inches long and 11 stitches , but she is doing very well!
If I haven't mentioned, I have an amazing wife! After we saw that she was felling better and not too sore we decided to chance it and make a mad dash for Gulf Port this morning, in hopes that it had not sold. So crippled wife and kids in tow, I left at first light. They didn't open until 9am, by that time I was half way there. I made a call and asked to speak to Jim! Jim said "yes sir still here about to take your name off". I said hold on pard I'll be there in 3 hrs! "ok we will see you soon.". I couldn't believe this!
I arrived and hurried inside to meet Jim. There sat the Terrova in the box, never removed from the original packing. The cardboard was still fixed around the motor shaft. Now this box was torn and missing the top layer, but the motor was unharmed and contained all parts, remote,foot control,paperwork,nuts, bolts, etc.
Then Jim said "somebody priced this wrong, we are a Salvage store and sell at 50% of suggested retail. My heart dropped for a min until Jim said "but they screwed up and we will honor this price for you! This motor should have been marked over $1000.00 dollars!" I asked more about the motor. Jim said that this motor had been burried in the warehouse under other items and that is was recieved as a truck load bulk order from Amazon.com almost 2 years ago. Amazon had discounted it to them because the packaging had been torn beyond repair and did not meet the specs for shipment to a customer. So it was placed on the Salvage truck that Jims company had purchased. When it was discovered it was placed on Craigslist and priced incorrectly, but I had reserved it before the error was detected. Because I showed up, they honored the advertised price of $475 plus tax.
Well I made it home at 7pm. My wife is a real trooper, tired of riding and a little sore, but behind me 100% of the way. Thank God for her and please keep us in your thoughts. Just goes to show that sometimes when everything is falling apart, there is still hope. I will update on her condition in another post when we know more. Focusing on the positives for now!
I have inspected everything and found no problems. I connected to a battery and all functions work including the remote and foot pedal. Of course I have 7 days but all looks good at this point. The fact that it is basically new eased my concern, along with Jim's story of its history!
Here are a few pics. Tax and all, I'm into this $508.25 plus my time and $40 in gas!
12Volt 55lbs thrust 54" shaft with factory I-Pilot
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