I would like to thank everyone for answering my stupid questions so far...this forum is fantastic and it's great to have found such a resource...THANKS....
I'm the guy who has posted about buying a bowrider....was looking at a Regal, then was looking at either a Sea Ray or a Stingray...I think (THINK) I have settled on the sea Ray...it's being sold by a dealer....
here's the boat...the price quoted is off....he's actually asking $8500...
NADA says $6290 (without trailer), but I'll add that the boat appears to be very clean and nice. I still want to have a mechanic look at the motor, but I'm thinking about making an offer on this boat. I was thinking about taking in the NADA printout and offering 10% more plus a 1 year warranty, but in another thread....
a poster advised offering 20% below NADA and "asking for the world" and not pay any more than 5% below NADA. I'd assume that asking for the world means sticking with the one year warranty, and asking for stuff like life jackets, safety equipment, etc...? There is a depth finder wired in already...I'd love to get a GPS plotter on this sucker...maybe ask them to add that in too? I don't know...
I'd love to get this boat for as little as possible, obviously...does paying straight cash help?
Any advice on this stage would be greatly appreciated....and reciprocated once I end up buying whatever boat I get.
I'll also post pics once I actually own the boat...really looking forward to this, but nervous too...THANKS!!!!!
i would ask for everything possible you might need to be included. Remember, you dont have to buy the boat, but they have to sell it. Its your game, so to speak. i would make sure it has a trim gauge, a depth finder, see if you can get fenders, lines, etc. thrown in there too. You could easily spend $1000 just buying everything you need to get out on the lake if you dont.
Cash is king, i wouldnt be afraid to offer well below NADA. From what i understand (im not in the market for a boat though), NADA values dont hold up much right now in the economy.
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Samuel Adams. Always A Good Decision.
1987 5.0 OMC capri 1950CX bowrider, 3 bow 6 ft. Westland bimini
It's a buyers market out there. Take a big wad of cash, make sure he see's it and start low. Don't take the full amount with you. Pick your price and only take that much money with you. He'll come down.
Thanks redone...I just spent some time googling this boat to see if I could find asking prices in other areas...the list runs from $7500 to $9825. I also found one selling for 4501 and one for 14900, but I threw those two out , figuring they were oddballs from the other prices I saw. The most commonly asked price was about $7900 and I'd say the average price was about 8200.
The NADA is $6290...trailer would add about $800? so figure about $7100. If I offer them $5700 and ask for long warranty, and to outfit it, is that ridiculous?
I believe you should hope for a good deal, but be prepared to pay a fair price. He is not going to sell it below what he can get for it by waiting a couple weeks. The bottom line on a fair price is one at which the buyer and seller both leave feeling they have been treated fairly. The best way to do that is to go in with facts and data that support your fair offer. If the dealer sees your rationale, he is more likely to be amenable to dealing with you rather than blowing you off as a tire kicker making ridiculous offers. Anybody who has bought or sold a few things has a good BS detector, and he will know if you are making what you believe is a reasonable offer, or just low-balling. Facts and data, and a willingness to give and take to a fair price are the best practice.
Make sure when you are comparison shopping to compare apples to apples. All 3.0L motors are not the same. A 10% increase in horsepower in this class can be noticeable. He has listed that one at 120HP. I am in a 17' with a 135HP 3.0L, and while it pulls me up, I can easily foresee the day when an extra 10%HP would be nice.
IN summary, IMHO, that is a $7000 boat and a just a wee bit underpowered.
Thanks....a few people in the other thead on this boat said something similar...that I should keep looking and try to find something with a 4.3....argh...I just am not sure if I'll find a boat with an engine of that size on my budget, which is honestly somewhat stretched at 7k.
I just found an 01 Sea Ray 185 with a 4.3 by a non-dealer for 9k, but it's a 3 hour trip from my house...and 9k is really pushing it...
Thanks....a few people in the other thead on this boat said something similar...that I should keep looking and try to find something with a 4.3....argh...I just am not sure if I'll find a boat with an engine of that size on my budget, which is honestly somewhat stretched at 7k.
I just found an 01 Sea Ray 185 with a 4.3 by a non-dealer for 9k, but it's a 3 hour trip from my house...and 9k is really pushing it...
ya, but for 9k it has a good amount of power so you wont outgrow that aspect of it. And, its an 01 so it should probably come with all the goodies that you need on the water, i.e. anchor, lines, fenders, extinguishers, USCG stuff, maybe even some toys. then your not shelling out extra dough after you buy it for all that stuff. if they are asking 9, can you offer em 8 and settle on 8500? that wouldnt be bad. I really think that you would outgrow the 4 cylinder pretty quick and then end up regretting it. but then again maybe not.
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Samuel Adams. Always A Good Decision.
1987 5.0 OMC capri 1950CX bowrider, 3 bow 6 ft. Westland bimini
It should go without saying that dealers are in business to make a profit. As such, they came into that boat for less money than they are going to let it go out the door for. That means some Joe Blow off the street either sold it for less or traded it in consideration of some value less than you can buy it for. This also means there is a similar boat out there somewhere for a thousand or more less, that you can buy from an individual at the right time and place. However, be prepared that you may have to go through some things on it to get it to where you want it to be. The dealer presumably went through his, and most of the obvious problems have likely been resolved. If you are handy and have tools, you can leverage your sweat to optimize your budget, and get more for your money on the market. Naturally there is some risk you will buy a complete lemon on Craigslist, and be stuck. It is really about risk and reward.
You are probably going to pay a premium at a dealer, so if you buy there, you should ask for enhanced value in the form of warranty etc. It is something they can throw in with minimal risk and cost to them, assuming they have gone through the boat properly, and run a reputable business.
I hope I have not belabored the obvious. It is much less stressful to be the armchair quarterback than the guy in the pocket.
I just found an 01 Sea Ray 185 with a 4.3 by a non-dealer for 9k, but it's a 3 hour trip from my house...and 9k is really pushing it...
Try this:
If you have done the research and believe 8K is a fair price for the boat, assuming good condition, call the seller. Qualify the boat as fully as possible over the phone. If you are satisfied, tell them you have 8K to spend, and you don't want to waste their time, or your time driving out unless this is something they would be willing to consider. If they agree, you can drive out. If not, you can both chew on it for another day...or week. In any event, you get more experience negotiating and knowing what you are looking at.
Bilg (and everyone else), that's a decent idea...After taking the Sea Ray out this morning, my family really fell in love with it...it even had seats that converted to a sun pad for my wife to lay out on...the only things that are making me think now are the forum replies about being underpowered. This 185 would take care of that...I'd have to really stretch to go 8 grand but I can at least call the seller like you suggest...
To much money for a boat from around here. 8K will get you pretty far along in buying a house in CAPE CORAL. Its an 8 yro. salt water boat. Suggest you keep looking. FRED
Negotiating price, etc on a used boat
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