what is your reaction when you see a used mower, snowblower, ect. at a garage sale?

I buy them sometimes even not running fix them up and sell them to people who want them and make a little cash sometimes.

I used to help out in my cousins small engine repair shop quite a bit so working on them is pretty easy, even engine rebuilds are not too hard.

The best one I ever received or got at a garage sale (free) was an older John Deere 14SB it had sat for years the engine was free so I took it. The gas was the worst I had seen it was like paste and stunk like paint thinner, and in the carb it had sat up hard as a rock blocked every passage, I put it in cleaner for 2 days and loosened up all the crud and got the carb freed up put it back on the mower, changed the gas tank I had a spare filled it up with gas and it ran like a top, then a fuel leak developed so I spent 60 bucks and put a new carb on it, Leak fixed and 3 years later I still mow my lawn with it (I kept that one) and it looks/runs like a new machine, but was made in 96.

Yes I get mowers from sales and auctions frequently.

I have only met 1 that I got that was too far gone to get running again, the crankshaft and bushings were toast and it would not have been cost effective to even try to fix it. I warrantied 1 that someone blew the engine on big hole in the block and connecting rod sticking out, Tecumseh sent a new engine to our shop and I swapped it out. Other than that I can make almost any of them run again.

I buy a lot of stuff at garage sales including mowers etc. Look at the blades, dull? sharp? bent? Start it up and try it out. A blower is same, does it run? auger turn? gears work? If the motor runs well and other components work OK it's probably worth making an offer. I often get the best deals at yard sales including lawn tractors especially if the people are moving and have to get rid of their stuff.

You can usually tell by looking at it if a mower has been abused or not. It should have grass stains on it, but it should not be dented, overly scratched or rusted. The oil should not look like sludge and it should run smoothly. If its self-propelled, the drive should engage smoothly and pull the mower.