Unsuccessful search for Chambers locally

[pmisaber]

Since July 31 I have seen two ads for Chambers stoves in the LA area (looking at craigslist and recycler). They were gone before I could arrange to see either one (I called as soon as the second stove was advertised). There have been a fair number of stoves on e-bay lately. Anybody have strategies for avoiding buying a lemon on e-bay? Shipping costs are pretty intimidating too. I'm interested in getting a BZ in a state that doesn't require replacement of lots of parts (sending out parts for reporcelaining or repair is ok). I will be sleeping outdoors if I try to emulate Tura's approach to stove restoration (multiple stoves in the garage will not be tolerated by my wife).

Peter

[taheckler]

Hi Peter. Geez, I thought you got your stove already. Just a heads up that finding a BZ here in Southern California will be a challenge. I've only come across one in the year that I've been watching. And, yes, I did buy it because I needed the LP gas parts. The interesting thing is that the gal selling it didn't even know it was a BZ - she told me it was a B - I was just pleasantly surprised when I went to see it. One thing I have learned is that most sellers, unless they're Chambers Nuts like us (in which case they would NEVER sell!!) they generally don't know what they have. It pays off to investigate most anything listed.

I'll keep my eyes open for you now that I know what model you're looking for.

Hey, sleeping in the garage isn't that bad. :-)

<font color="#FFFFFF" size="1">[ August 18, 2005 09:43 AM: Message edited by: Tura Heckler ]</font>

[annnt]

Peter;
I found my BZ (or it found me) by placing a classified wanted ad on the Atiquestoves.com web site. Living in rural Colorado, I knew I would have to deal with shipping in some way or another. Fortunately, a friend of mine who transports llamas was driving in the general vicinity of the stove (Illinois or Indiana, I can't remember now) and picked it up for me. I did pay him, but not as much as a trucking company would have charged, and it did get a little damage, but nothing irreparable. Maybe when you find the perfect stove it will be in a location that you've been wanting to visit anyway!
I think I got really lucky with the quality of my stove not being able to see it in person. The woman selling it, had moved into the house a couple of years ago and told me she only used the burners and not the oven. She said she thought the oven worked, but as I am finding out now, it needs a new thermostat. So, I think she didn't use it because it didn't work properly. She also said it was in good shape and fairly clean. It was in good shape - porcelain, chrome, etc, but not clean in the least (she didn't even wipe the spaghetti sauce off the top!). I spent about 40 hours cleaning and scrubbing and now most things sparkle. She did send me some fuzzy email photos and claimed to not be good enough with the camera and email to send better ones. But, I really wanted a yellow B (I got lucky that it was a BZ) and had been searching for about 6 months and not seen or found another one, so I snapped it up.
Good luck with your search.
Ann

[pmisaber]

Thanks annnt. That is a heartening story and also a good strategy to increase exposure to potential sellers. I wonder if it would work in LA.

I really like the look of the B models better than the C (Please no C or A lovers should take offense) and the BZ has some design features that I prefer. Having said that, I wouldn't walk away from a C in good condition if one became available.

A patient search like yours and Tura's is definitely the best way to go.

Peter