Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

Jeepster04

Chief Petty Officer
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Jan 5, 2009
Messages
481
Family is looking at a 2007 H180 Four Winns boat. It has the Volvo 4.3l and O/D(what O/D comes on that?). Whats everyones thought on this boat? Right now they have it listed for 13k and it only has 20hours on it. Family bought it then never used it. Ive never really been around Four Winns so idk anything about them. How would this boat compare to, say, a Tahoe? Does 13k seem like a decent price? Would that engine still be carbed?

Pics:

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Thanks for any advice.
 

slasmith1

Lieutenant Junior Grade
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Dec 2, 2008
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Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

NADA shows between $9,000-$11,000 so in this market should be around $8,000 max it sounds like he is trying to get out from under a loan that he is upside down in. just my opinion though.
 

RotaryRacer

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Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

Four Winns = Solid, Mid-upper range boat. They are much better than Tahoe in general. Tahoe is an entry level brand. Four Winns is closer to the level of Chaparral or Regal. This particular boat is the entry level Four Winns. I would reccomend spending some time in the boat and looking in every knook and cranny. I think you will see quality workmanship throughout. The H180 is, however, a budget minded boat. So, some of the fittings and hardware will not be the top of the line. It is a good solid boat that should give many, many years of good performance.

That boat has the Volvo Penta SX outdrive. That coupled with the 4.3 V6 is probably about perfect for that boat. I can't tell from the picture but the engine could be carbed or injected...they offered the 4.3 both ways.

$13k sounds like a REALLY good price for that boat, which would appear to be basically brand new....MSRP was probably just shy of $30k.

If I was in the market for that type of boat that would be at the top of my list to do a water trial with.
 

jt185

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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Sep 10, 2009
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Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

Looks clean as a whistle. Great looking boat actually. Talk him down. That is premium retail price. That's what it's like around here too. Everyone is trying to get out from under their 12 year "low monthly payments" loans that looked so great a few years ago. I'm trying to avoid that scenario as I brace for payments on a boat this spring.
 

jt185

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Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

$13k sounds like a REALLY good price for that boat, which would appear to be basically brand new....MSRP was probably just shy of $30k.

I was looking at a new H180 w/ a 4.3 last fall. It was between 23-24 K at a dealership. Maybe 13 is a good deal on that boat, but I don't think it was a 30 thousand dollar boat new.
 

reap182

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May 30, 2009
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Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

Nice boat, depends what amenities are included
 

RotaryRacer

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Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

What a dealer has it listed for and the MSRP aren't always the same. I agree though that the current owner probably paid $25k or less and may have a loan they need to get out of.

I do think that $13k is a good price for a boat that would seem to have so little use.
 

jt185

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Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

What a dealer has it listed for and the MSRP aren't always the same. I agree though that the current owner probably paid $25k or less and may have a loan they need to get out of.

I do think that $13k is a good price for a boat that would seem to have so little use.
Yeah, you're right. You could buy the same boat new and pay another 10k and not really gain much.
 

jt185

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162
Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

Hey Jeepster, You got open water there? I'd be taking that out for a little test run if you do. maybe he'll negotiate on price.
 

Jeepster04

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Jan 5, 2009
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481
Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

Thanks guys. I was curious how much a new one cost, really didnt know if 13k was a good deal but yeah, we would def try to talk them down. Were just looking, not 100% serious about anything.

It does look like its in great shape but a run on the lake would be required. Its on a car lot(families car lot) and they said their mechanics winterized the boat which is a flag for me. Most of them probably know nothing about winterizing a boat. They said it came with a bimini but idk about the snap in carpet. I can see the snaps on the floor but it may of been an option, I kinda like the carpet myself. Either way, we may go check it out this weekend.
 

Subliminal

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Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

I just bought a factory leftover Moneterey recently. It MSRP'ed at $33k. I got it (brand new from the dealer) for $18.5k.

Same engine, same drive, same basic setup.

I'd say $13k is probably great for that boat, but I bet you could get it for $11 with cash...especially in the middle of winter. ;-)

Also, my boat has fiberglass floors...Snap in carpets are an option. My dealer recommended holding off on buying the carpets for a year or two, see if I wanted them...he said 99% of people didn't ever come back and buy them, and when he gets trade ins, the carpet always looks brand new...because people don't use them.
 

ezmobee

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Mar 26, 2007
Messages
23,767
Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

That is a gorgeous boat and I think I'd be willing to pay the price for it. However, it being at a car dealer is a HUGE red flag for me. I would absolutely insist in having it thoroughly checked out by a marine shop.
 

Dave1251

Petty Officer 2nd Class
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May 18, 2009
Messages
151
Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

This boat would be great for lakes like Green, Nolan or Rough River, but it is too small for lake Cumberland. The boat should have sold for around 19-20K in 2007. The boat did have carpet at one time.

The NADA for this boat is $12,520 for average conditions. This boat will easly bring $12,500 in todays market.
 

Jeepster04

Chief Petty Officer
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Jan 5, 2009
Messages
481
Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

We hardly ever boat on Cumberland (WAYYY too many people) so thats not really an issue. We like Dale Hollow though. This boat will be used in central/eastern ky 98% of the time.
 

90sparty

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Jan 29, 2010
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Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

I've been looking for a used 180 or 190 Four Winns Horizon for the last 6 months. I saw this one as well online and I would have jumped all over it if it wasn't yellow. I have tracked prices from various online sites (boattrader, craiglist, etc) and this is definately on the low end of the price range for the 4.3L. If you don't care about the engine (i.e. could live with the 3.0L) you can find them cheaper.
 

Jeepster04

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481
Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

Made them an offer and they agree'ed. Ended up being under 12k with taxes. :) If everything goes smooth she'll be sitting in the driveway in a couple weeks or so. Gotta take it out on the lake and make sure everything is ok but we will have to wait for a warm day. The boat was winterized at a marina, the dealership didnt winterize it like we thought so thats good. Just worried about it since its around an hour away, and if its below freezing we may have some issues getting it home without freezing. Its about 30min to the lake, 30min back to dealer, then an hour home. It'll be in the garage at home so we dont need to rush and drain the block once we do get it home. Gotta read up on it and see what all needs to be drained on it. I believe it has power steering so Im assuming it has a power steering cooler that will need to be drained. Other than that Im assuming it has the regular drains on each side of the engine along with the manifold drains.
 

superpop

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Mar 5, 2006
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869
Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

Sounds like you got a good deal. That looks to be the carbed version of the VP 4.3L. The MPI ones have a more contoured looking breather cover. Still a good deal though, and the V-6 is the perfect sized motor for that boat. I had a 1996 Wellcraft with that same power package but mine was 19.5 feet long and it did struggle will pulling larger folks out of the water, but nothing a different prop would not fix. There are only 4 drains you really need to worry about and the block usually has petcocks that you can simply open when you are done checking it out. Bring a crescent wrench along and you can remove the plugs at the back of each of the manifolds when you are done and you should be fine. The remote oil filter is another nice feature that I noticed from the pictures. I would ask the dealer for a copy of the invoice from the winterization so you know what was done. Winterizations can mean different things to different people. When I purchased my boat the guy had just spent 900 bucks on the winterization but that included a complete tune up and 20 hour service. If they just drained the water, that is a different story. The missing carpet could mean this was a repo as that is pretty typical with repos. The previous owner had the carpet sitting in their garage when the tow truck showed up. Maybe the dealer will let you talk with the PO, that would be good to talk to them about what they did and did not do maint wise.
 

Mikesan

Cadet
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Aug 16, 2009
Messages
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Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

I think you did fine. As a comparison, this week I bought a 2006 Ebbtide SE180 with the exact same engine/drive for $12,000 with the trailer. It had been garaged and I took it to a boat mechanic and he said it looked like it came off the showroom. If I'd been willing to look longer and harder I might have been able to save a few more bucks, but this one was the color I liked and pristine. Enjoy it and don't worry about price. There will always be someone who'll get a better deal.
 

stubbsboogie

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Aug 19, 2008
Messages
413
Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

nice job!!
We did almost the same deal with the Rinker in my signature. Looked absolutley perfect and checked out so really we and you got a practically new boat and someone else took the depreciation hit.

I think you got a great deal congratulations and good luck.

BTW the 4.3 is a great motor.
 

Jeepster04

Chief Petty Officer
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Jan 5, 2009
Messages
481
Re: Looking at 2007 Four Winns? Thoughts?

Welp, Shes sitting in the garage! Got them down to under 11k so were pretty satisfied. Someone definitely lost some money on that deal and it sure wasnt us! Took it out for a test and everything was perfect. The prop has a very slight bend on one of the blades but we should be able to take care of that no problem. Cleaned it all up and got all the seats treated and couldnt be more happy. Gotta change the gear oil along with the engine oil+filter and polish(mild polish)/wax it then it should be good to go for the summer. Brake lights are not working so weve gotta work on the trailer lights some. Both brake lights/turn signal bulbs are blown and it has that sealed lighting, so the entire thing has to be replaced.

Can you flush the engine by hooking a hose to that blue connector and starting the engine? Is there no use in using muffs? The raw water pump is on the front of the engine, not in the O/D.
 
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