Had to choose between fixing a 20-year-old VCR or paying $40 for a new one at Goodwill

My grandpa's old VCR finally ate a tape last month, and I stood in my basement for 20 minutes deciding what to do. I ended up cracking it open and found a busted belt that cost me $3 online instead of just trashing it. Took two tries to get the new belt on right, but now it plays tapes smoother than it did in 2001. Has anyone else gone way out of their way to keep a piece of junk running just for the memories?

2 comments

2 Comments

mia59212h ago

The future of your repair skills" is a nice way to look at it, but I gotta push back a little. Not every busted old gadget is a stepping stone to being a home repair wizard, sometimes a busted VCR is just a busted VCR. I spent an hour on mine for a $3 belt, yeah, but my time is worth something too, and I could've just grabbed that $40 Goodwill one and been done with it in 10 minutes. Plus, not everyone has the patience or the right screwdrivers to poke around inside old electronics without breaking something else. I get the idea of building skills, but for a lot of people, "just buy the cheap replacement" is the smarter move for their sanity and wallet.

the_beth12h ago

Start thinking about the future of your repair skills. When you can fix a VCR you basically understand any simple belt driven machine like an old sewing machine or even a fan. That $3 part and your willingness to learn might end up saving you way more than $40 down the road when the next old gadget breaks.