buying a new but discontinued leftover boat model ?

Maxum21

Petty Officer 1st Class
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Mar 8, 2005
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Was at a boat show this weekend and a saw 2017 22' boat by Crownline i'd consider buying. Crownline however, took this specific 22' model out of their line-up permenantly.(no longer available in 2018)Would it be correct to assume it would now have a lower value or potentially less resale value down the road? I've never bought anything in this type of situation so I was unsure what i would even offer. Their asking price is $64k which is slightly below msrp but the salesman said they are open to offers. They made me a fair offer for my trade in but i'm hesitant about buying a model they no longer produce in terms of resale. Am i just over thinking this or not? what do you guys think? thanks!
 

dingbat

Supreme Mariner
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A model being "Discontinued" can actually increase the value of a "desirable" boat.
 

rallyart

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Buying a boat this time of year should get you a big discount. The dealer will want to reduce inventory and improve his financials for his year end. I doubt there is much risk in the 'discontinued' being an issue on resale. There are still lots of Crownlines for comparison.
 

Sprig

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Every year boat manufacturers go out of business and certain lines of boats are terminated. Some times a new line replaces them and some times not. It wouldn't bother me in the least buying a boat of which the model or line has been discontinued. It would cause me some concern buying a new boat if the boat company/manufacturer was going out of business.
 

Maclin

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As far as the value, if that particular boat has some characteristics that have developed a following, and those characteristics are lost in the DNA chain, i.e. no models after it can match it, then it will have some extra value to that community. Unfortunately you will probably not find out how much "extra" until you go to sell it.
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
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Its the end of a model run.....buy it, dont buy it....up to you. You should only buy boats that put a smile on your face, never buy a boat if you have to think about resale value in 10 years
 

tpenfield

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A discontinued model should not be a concern. Most boat models that are in use and on the used market ARE discontinued models. If you want the boat, work out a good deal and go forward. Boat buying should be at a low point right now, with the season ending in many parts of the northern hemisphere.
 

JoLin

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Look at it this way- the fair offer they made for your trade is for a BRAND that isn't made anymore. That tells you something. A discontinued model wouldn't bother me in the least, if I really liked the boat.

If it was me speaking with that dealer, however, I'd do plenty of moaning about it during the negotiation. :joyous:

My .02
 

H20Rat

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Boats aren't cars... Even if your boat has the exact same model name as the previous year, there very likely are many, many changes. Boat manufacturers don't make most of the stuff on a boat (fixtures, etc), so they buy whatever they can get their hands on. Sometimes the inventory of a particular part lasts a couple years, sometimes it makes it half a year.

As others have said, don't worry about that, buy it if it matches what you are going to use it for. If the model has anything unique about it that is lost because of it being discontinued (shortest crownline, longest crownline, etc...) your resale actually goes up, not down.
 

jkust

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Just for comparison sake, Chaparral has now discontinued most of their SSi line of boats...I believe they will only make a single SSi model where formerly they had many. Instead they are focusing on their budget line of boats as well as their new outboard series of boats and their Jet boats and they have some larger, expensive I/O models as well. They have completely changed the product mix to reflect whatever they are seeing out in the market. Basically they cut out the middle of their whole lineup. I wouldn't hesitate then to buy a discontinued model if I was in your shoes. Many used boats are discontinued after they are purchased from new as the lineup changes from time to time. I don't look at boats the same way as cars nor does resale cross my mine. It isn't real estate, it is a toy.
 

Maxum21

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thanks guys! all good points..I can't believe how expensive new boats have become. I can see why Chaparral and others have been focusing on their budget line-ups. New, upper-end rigs have basically become unaffordable.. Anyways, I actually called Crownline today to ask why they stopped production of this boat. They basically turned it into a 23'er with a new name (E23xs). The new version looks alike, but it does have a better layout. I'm still interested in the original 22'er i saw at the show, but i'd need to get it cheap now. Would I be out of line to offer $50k on $64k/68k boat? I have almost no experience buying anything new, so trying to decide what would be a reasonable offer. Again, its a '17 which is considered a year old at this point..
 

GA_Boater

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All you can is make an offer. If the dealer is willing to deal, he will counter. If he laughs at you, you don't want to work with him any way because that's the kind of service you will get down the line.
 

JoLin

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They basically turned it into a 23'er with a new name (E23xs). The new version looks alike, but it does have a better layout.

Compare the specs of the 2017 and 2018. Crownline may have simply changed the name. They do that. In 1991 and 1992 Carver called my boat a '26 Command Bridge', From 1993-1997 they called it a '280 Sedan'. Same power options, length, beam, height, draft, weight, everything identical.

My .02
 

jkust

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thanks guys! all good points..I can't believe how expensive new boats have become. I can see why Chaparral and others have been focusing on their budget line-ups. New, upper-end rigs have basically become unaffordable.. Anyways, I actually called Crownline today to ask why they stopped production of this boat. They basically turned it into a 23'er with a new name (E23xs). The new version looks alike, but it does have a better layout. I'm still interested in the original 22'er i saw at the show, but i'd need to get it cheap now. Would I be out of line to offer $50k on $64k/68k boat? I have almost no experience buying anything new, so trying to decide what would be a reasonable offer. Again, its a '17 which is considered a year old at this point..


Hard to believe but 68k is just one notch above an entry level boat in that same size with a similar engine. Loaded up 23 foot lake capable bowriders are nearing 100k and much more than than that for surf boats and center consoles. It isn't uncommon for a manufacture to keep the same hull but change the layout on a new model designation. I don't think affordability is the issue so much as spending the money on a piece of equipment that in my state you have a 90 day window to use. If it was a year round situation, I could see it. Practicality to me is the biggest issue with how expensive boats have gotten and I say that with a house on a large lake with endless boating opportunities and still don't use our bowrider enough to justify spending a ton. I have friends on the lake however and they buy new because they can't afford to buy used.
 

redneck joe

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Mar 18, 2009
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10,200
A discontinued model should not be a concern. Most boat models that are in use and on the used market ARE discontinued models. If you want the boat, work out a good deal and go forward. Boat buying should be at a low point right now, with the season ending in many parts of the northern hemisphere.



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