Good ideas all. I even put an ad in Craigs list saying I buy such things, so far no bites. I did buy one off Craigs list though. My local Craigs list is a bit under served, Monterey ca. Garage sales are ok but you have to be the early bird. I also got a wacker from a realtor' estate sale.

My local ma-n-pa hardware/autoparts/ chain saw shop is way too proud of their stuff to even consiter doing business with. They will repair an old wacker then want $120 for it, I look but always end up shaking my head.

I guess if I really want some particular one for a project I can just buy the new shortblock from Farmer's exchange. Your average weedie is just over a C-note and something really nice like a CS-1080 echo is about $200. But when you do that and use a new carb you really have a good engine. All the hunting around is fun but gas and time probably cost more than dropping the money for a new unit. I guess I'll just keep my eyes open and be happy whith what comes my way.

Here is something productive. We have a big chain hardware out here called OSH. Check the return/refurbished section of these places. My Salinas store has a pragmatic manager who sells off returned stuff at low prices........once in a while. I got an echo 33 cc chainsaw sans bar from them for 25-bucks. That was a great deal. The Watsonville store is always a bust. If you find something try haggeling with the manager.