Ordering a brand new boat. What to expect?

[lil_jason17]

I am very near possibly ordering a new boat. I am meeting with my bank today in fact for loan options. I am really set on the Lowe FM165SC. I live in SE Wisconsin and have one retailer fairly close to me. Having never purchased a new boat before I really don't know what to expect for "wheeling and dealing". I've done many searches for what to expect for price off of the msrp and heard anywhere from 10% to 20% to be typical, but most of those threads were quite old. I can provide more info if necessary but would really appreciate any advice on what I should expect in a normal case. Thanks for any help you may have!

 

[harleyman1975]

I would make my expectations clear with the dealer.

 

[tpenfield]

The www.seedealercost.com site only has dealer cost for Lowe boats up to 2015, but probably not much has changed since then. The dealer cost for the 2015 FM165SC was 80% of MSRP.

So, that should give you the low end of where they will want to be. There tends to be a lot less wiggle room on the lower end of the price scale vs. the bigger/expensive boats. So, you might end up at only 10% below MSRP, but you could certainly start at 20%.

 

[garbageguy]

Full disclosure - I've never bought a new boat. However, I would pay more from a dealer that I trust will be around, will be my advocate with the manufacturer n case there's any warranty issues, and who preferably services boats, and is very familiar with the brand..

 

[SeaDooSam]

If you are buying from a dealer that also happens to be a marina, instead of chiseling a high amount of money, ask for some money off and then some accessories (life jackets, paddles, etc)

 

[frantically relaxing]

Any chance on waiting a few months for boat-show season?

 

[lil_jason17]

Well how exactly does it work for boat shows? I assume that instead of dealing with sale reps from area dealers, you are dealing directly with sales reps from the manufacturer correct? So am I more likely to get a better price right off the bat with no middleman or are the prices still similar to retail msrp?

 

[ondarvr]

Well how exactly does it work for boat shows? I assume that instead of dealing with sale reps from area dealers, you are dealing directly with sales reps from the manufacturer correct? So am I more likely to get a better price right off the bat with no middleman or are the prices still similar to retail msrp?

No, you are still working with the local dealer, and sometimes they have great discounts, or bonus package deals that offer extras at no charge.

 

[SeaDooSam]

IMO, unless dealing with big yachts that cost a lot, if you are a good haggler, you can probably get pretty close to boat show pricing just by haggling. Sometimes the best way to go is to walk in with the money, give your offer, tell them to take it or leave it and then your off (either with or without the boat)

 

[roffey]

I bought a new boat and was so excited about the boat I did not haggle... :whoo:

 

[SeaDooSam]

I bought a new boat and was so excited about the boat I did not haggle... :whoo:

You must NOT do this . Don't even express that you are in love with it even if you do love it. Make it seem like the dealer is doing you a favor. Otherwise, they will take advantage of you knowing that you are in love and really want the boat.

 

[tpenfield]

Overall, aren't we talking about a $17k boat that appears to have about a 20-25% markup? How much haggling can there be? :noidea:

 

[jkust]

You must NOT do this . Don't even express that you are in love with it even if you do love it. Make it seem like the dealer is doing you a favor. Otherwise, they will take advantage of you knowing that you are in love and really want the boat.

You hate boats and aren't even sure why you are there.

 

[SeaDooSam]

You hate boats and aren't even sure why you are there.

Yes exactly.

 

[harleyman1975]

A 21' Lund tyee fishing boat with a 225 outboard is almost $60,000.00. $17,000.00 buys you a 16' tinny with a 40 hp tiller and a low buck trailer.

 

[Old Ironmaker]

What is your budget? The lower the price, like 17K the less wiggle room you have. At the lower end like a tinny and 20 horse around here the price is as indicated. There may be some discount on accessories, maybe. I have never bought a new boat. I know those that have and after that new boat was splashed once it was a used boat. The first ding was like the shot heard around the world. Some people hate shopping or putting the time in. There are plenty of great like new used boats for sale that were bought on credit.

I highly dissuade buying toys on credit. Learn through my mistakes. Regardless good luck and happy shopping.

 

[jkust]

So maybe ten years ago when I was buying one of my boats, I was set on a new boat. I started shopping and realized quickly that boats in my state simply cost a lot more for the exact same model. If it's a hundred bucks here it was eighty bucks and less in states further south. Previous to that I never truly understood how much more many things cost in my home state. I tried to get the local dealers to match the southern dealers prices. Their reactions were that the prices and the ads that I was showing them simply weren't possible and nobody would deal with me to the extent I wanted. They of course chalked it up to every online ad showing the same boat for 2/3 the price was a bait and switch. The economy was in a boom back then and new boats were actually hard to come by without ordering and waiting for them. I ended up to some extent forced into the used market when the boat I wanted was going to be a substantial wait to have built and summer was already in full swing. While it is true that you tend to have to have cash to buy toys used and that it is substantially easier to buy new vehicles because credit is easily extended for new, I learned that there is much more bang for the buck in the used market.

 

[roffey]

My motivation behind a new boat was it would be around for my grand kids to enjoy, it required no fixing and everything worked.... and I could afford it. I know most here seem to look down on new boat purchasing but some one has to, LOL.

 

[lil_jason17]

How about this for start. Other than the obvious don't let on to how much you've got to have the boat, what are some couple other do's and don'ts while playing the sales game?

 

[jkust]

My motivation behind a new boat was it would be around for my grand kids to enjoy, it required no fixing and everything worked.... and I could afford it. I know most here seem to look down on new boat purchasing but some one has to, LOL.

Ha ha, I wished nobody would take the advice and buy a new boat every single season. Seems like a good time to update the Stingray.