Gumtree, for those not in the know, is an online classified website that is much like Craigslist. Unlike Craigslist though, Gumtree is quite popular in Australia. I bought the Retromobile through Gumtree, and I always like to browse through it to see if there is anything worth picking up. Up until today though I've never come across anything worthy of my retro appetite, but since I'm home sick (and to be honest, a bit delirious) I thought I would give it a solid chance.
Good thing I did too, because I picked this up for $10:
That is an Atari 520ST FM, something I've wanted since I was a child. I always use to play the Atari ST emulators, I remember downloading the ROM's on a dial-up connection; good times. It isn't something I thought I would ever come across in the wild though and bids are hard to find locally on eBay. When I do come across them, the postage prices always kills the temptation for me.
The ad for this was pretty blunt, it said something along the lines of "give me a price for this today or it's going down to the tip, sold as is." I sent a text explaining I would give the man $10 to take it off his hands, and we had a deal. It didn't come with any leads, but the power cable is the same sort you'd plug into your computers PSU and it can be tuned into any TV with an RCA to COAX cable. The kicker to it all, is that it actually works. This surprised me quite a bit considering it looks like it's been in a shed for a couple of decades (as well as there being a few missing keys), but who am I to complain?
It probably cost me $10 in fuel to drive to where it was, and I found out today that driving while sick is as fun as stubbing your toe on an Atari 7800. Having said that though, it's totally worth it knowing that I saved it from certain death. The fact that it works almost seems like a bonus.
I have a cheap game and a joystick coming in the mail.
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