Used boat dealer near Charlotte reminds us Get Warranty or Buy from reputable dealer

slawrence72

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Aug 31, 2015
Messages
1
When we purchased our used boat, we were told by the dealer and their mechanic, that our boat had been inspected, test driven and they had completed an oil change. Within one use, we noted oil in the engine compartment. Boat repairs were over $2500 and all repair items had visible indicators of issues if an inspection or test drive had been completed by this dealer or if they had offered a warranty.
1) Oil Leaks (front & rear): Visible at idle & low speed; Over 1 quart of oil in engine compartment after running for 1 hour
2) Melted Cable Linkage (throttle): Boat would not and did not consistently go in to either reverse or neutral.
3) Cracked Exhaust Manifold: Visible indicator was water in spark plugs.
4) Radio had no power or output.
5) Damaged coupler between out drive and motor: Visible indicator was engine bounced up and down when running

While we have absorbed the costs and love our reputable mechanic for all of his work, we were reminded by this dealer

Mod EDIT

near Charlotte and Lake Norman North Carolina, that not all dealers stand behind their products or offer customer service. Consider a warranty option but more importantly, consider a reputable used boat dealer
 
Last edited by a moderator:

littlerayray

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Feb 17, 2013
Messages
1,456
They didn't do an on water test drive

Sorry to hear of your problems hopefully they get better soon
 

southkogs

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Last year I made a purchase from one of the salvage yards here in the SouthEast, and GA_Boater gave me some very good advice to go personally and be VERY hands on in the purchase. Overall the experience I had was a good one, but GA's advice turned out to be VERY wise and I think had I been buying a boat (as opposed to parts) would have been critical to a good experience.

The same is true of any dealer, salvage yard or private sale which helps illustrate the value of THIS topic by SigSaur and the gang.
 

jkust

Rear Admiral
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Aug 2, 2008
Messages
4,942
Ok, I'll bite. Why would you not use the trust but verify method of purchasing used, expensive items prone to expensive repairs? An independent mechanic would have most certainly caught these issues. One of my neighbors at my lake house is dealing with this same issue. He took the word of the seller only to find out that amazingly in the world that we live in in 2015, the seller wasn't being honest in order to off-load the boat. Go figure, his plan now is to off-load it in the exact same manner the previous seller did in order to cut his losses. He has used the boat a grand total of two times all summer.

What kind of boat was this?
 

GA_Boater

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May 24, 2011
Messages
49,038
Mod Note;

We removed the dealer name because this is too one sided. I looked at the website before removing it and the shop sells used boats, used motorcycles and used cars/trucks. In other words, the OP bought a boat without testing, still waiting for confirmation from him, based on the word of a used car salesman*. Do you see the problem?

*Not casting aspersions, but some, not all, used car salesmen do not have sterling reputations. The saying "Buyer beware" rings true in this case.
 

aspeck

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May 29, 2003
Messages
18,588
Mod Note;

*Not casting aspersions, but some, not all, used car salesmen do not have sterling reputations. The saying "Buyer beware" rings true in this case.

Trust me, I sell used cars ... :):facepalm:
 

aspeck

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May 29, 2003
Messages
18,588
Case in point if ever there was one!:boink:

Hey now, I have a little beauty to sell you, only drive to church and back on Sundays. The little old lady took meticulous care of her car ... only problem is, this ain't her car!:cool:
 
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