I think I'm back on the wagon...
So, Saturday afternoon, I was walking around a Goodwill store and spied a Kirby G7 (standard, not Diamond Edition) tucked in a corner and felt compelled to take a look at it. The $35 price tag was enough make me continue walking around the store, but addict that I am, I had to go back for a second look. On closer inspection, I found that the bag wouldn't clip into the handle and the cord and cord retainer at the bottom were both torn up. At that point, I decided it wasn't worth my while and walked away without further inspection. I didn't plug it in or turn it on, didn't check the belt or the brush roll, I just walked away.
And you know what? I feel better for having walked away than I would have if I had bought the darned thing. I have no regrets and feel no urge to go back to the store, just to check on it. The truth is, just doing the mental math, I realized that by the time I fixed the things that I saw were wrong with it, I'd have at least twice as much as the purchase price tied up in it. Compared with the last G-series Kirby I bought in late 2021, which was a Gsix 2001 Limited Edition that cost $5 less than this machine, and needed basically nothing, the value proposition just wasn't there for me. I've been down that road before and I don't need to go there again.
At the same time, I'm also not beating myself up about buying that Legend II a couple of months ago, although I've just left it in the barn for the time being. Once school gets out and I have a little more time on my hands, I may haul it up to the house and vacuum a couple of rooms with it, just to see how it performs.
I do love my Kirbys, but I know I don't have to buy every one of them that I see.