Heh, most amusing. Even without the tuning pegs, I still think that'd be too painful.
But seriously, when I take my bass to gigs, I store it in a safe, dry place in it's soft case where it won't get hurt. I take it out of the bag to play, put it back in after, put it in the car with either a load of heavy amps (so it looks a little squashed) , or with nothing (so it rattles around a bit). I'm not saying I treat it badly, i'm just saying that I think you lot would think I treat it badly. I would have no problem selling my bass, as it's in absolutely perfect condition, regardless of what it's been through.
You're probably restricting yourself from getting some bargains if you don't even look at a bass 'cos it's in a gig bag and not a hard case.