A few weeks ago, my original Dreamcast bit the dust. Oh it turns on. It just won’t read discs. Thankfully Dr. Shawn with Game Repair took my Dreamcast into his personal care to see if he could bring it back from the dead (he’s a witch I swear). In the meantime I needed another Dreamcast to fill the void in my entertainment center. What is a boy to do……
A quick search of my local Craigslist solved that problem. This gentleman (sucker) was selling his Dreamcast, cables, two controllers, and two blue VMUs for $20. The sweetest part of the whole deal, it was an early model capable of playing burnt games (t3h romz). After we made the exchange (this sounds like a drug deal), I took a closer look. Well more like a smell as everything was permeated by the stench of smoke. The system and controllers showed the classic signs of stick-this-in-a-corner-and-never-clean-it. After a good cleaning and some TLC, she was good as new.
Then last week as I’m browsing through Craigslist, I find a listing for a “business” selling used games right around the corner from where I work. The guy specifically states he’s selling used Dreamcast games. I have to use Google Maps to find the place as it’s not where one would expect a used game store. In fact it wasn’t a used game store at all but a row of storage units set up like an outdoor flea market. As odd as it was, I looked around. Most of the stuff was either junk, sports games, common crap, or overpriced uncommon games. I didn’t take the time to do a full scan as the guy was eying me like a hawk (I guess there was a rash of 6’4″ ogres stealing stuff in the area).
Sitting in the middle of a row of old tables was this steering wheel. Nothing special at first glance, but upon closer inspection I discovered it was a Dreamcast wheel for $5. It even had a VMU still lodged in the slot (guess the guy figured it had to be in there). I’m no steering wheel expert (in fact this is the first steering wheel I’ve ever owned for any video game system), but a quick search of the net revealed this was a pretty top notch steering wheel for the time. A few rounds of Daytona USA confirmed it. Second Dreamcast deal, complete.
So last night I’m browsing through Craigslist, refreshing my browser every few minutes, and up pops a listing for another Dreamcast. Now if this was another Dreamcast, I would have passed on the deal. Reading the listing my heart skipped a few beats. It read:
Sega Dreamcast Set with 12 games, memory card, 2 controllers, keyboard, ect. Games included are Skies of Arcadia, Grandia 2, Phantasy Star online, Sonic Adventure, NBA 2K, NBA 2K1, Resident Evil Code Veronica, NFL 2K1, Wetrix, Virtua Tennis, Sword of the Berserk, and Bass Fishing. Excellent condition $45.00 for all.
Fourty-five bucks for all of that? My fingers couldn’t dial the number fast enough. A stately man answered the phone, and as calmly as I could, I informed him I wanted to purchase his Dreamcast lot. We scheduled the meet up for today after work. After going to the wrong gas station down the street, I arrive at the correct gas station. I drive up to find a man in his late fifties with a box of Dreamcast items. A bit odd, but alright. He lets me inspect the box to make sure everything is in order. Upon first glance I noticed some items not in the listing and certainly not Dreamcast related. In the box was a copy of Chrono Trigger for the DS, Summon Night: Swordcraft Story, and Golden Sun for the GBA (both with boxes and instructions mind you). I figured it was stuff he was selling to someone else, but as I paid him the cash and took the box, he protested not. He only said this was his son’s Dreamcast and he was getting rid of it (not sure if his son knows about this or not but whatever). He even commented that he got a flood of texts and calls after he put the listing up (good thing I was the first one). All I could think was: SCORE!
Now the deal trifecta is complete. I’ll keep a lot of the stuff, and sell others, but it was the thrill of the chase. All I gotta say is, Craiglist indeed rocks. Commerce in its’ purest form. No fees, no mailing, no Paypal, just an exchange of goods between two people. God Bless ya Craigslist.
Sidenote: It’s always befuddled me how someone who takes such terrible care of his console has it work like a charm, yet someone like myself who takes immaculate care of his system has it die on him. Seriously, these guys do everything but run over the system with a steam roller and it’s just fine. The gaming gods are cruel indeed.
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