This GameCube had quite a story to tell before it ever came into Aaron's possession.
Up until the DS (and with the exception of the original Game Boy), I never got Nintendo systems at launch due to cost. In fact, I didn't even get a Nintendo 64 until 2001, so a GameCube wasn't in the plans.
My dorm was the go-to room for Super Smash Bros. playing. I had bought four controllers, and had a giant inflatable couch (which literally took up 1/3 of the room) and a 21" monitor (huge at the time). After the GameCube launch, one of my friends dropped off a GameCube to let me borrow for the weekend. Some people hated the new version of Smash Bros., as they were used to the slower floaty gameplay of the original. Either way, a GameCube at $200 wasn't under consideration.
Then, a friend let me know that her family had a GameCube that they would sell me for $70. Why so cheap?
It had rolled down the interstate.
Apparently, they took the purple system on a trip, and at a gas station stop, they had to pull it out and accidentally left it on the roof of their vehicle. They got up to at least 30 MPH before it rolled off and began an intimate relationship with asphalt. They went back and retrieved it, but it would not power on, so they bought a new one.
They had the damaged GameCube looked at, and found that during the trauma, an internal cable had come loose. Once plugged back in, the system worked flawlessly. The exterior was badly scratched on all ten corners (cube corners and lid corners), a testament to its unfortunate excursion, but also the build quality Nintendo hardware.
I bought four controllers and Super Smash Bros. Melee, and the Smash Bros. tournaments continued. Eventually, I ended up with a second black GameCube, which I got in a bundle deal with Phantasy Star Online, so I sold the scarred unit to a co-worker for $50.
The GameCube could withstand some serious abuse. I feel confident in saying that I could never have procured my Wii in this fashion.