Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

[cube21]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

If it is a V8 then that is a steal, If the mechanic says it is like new as well then I would buy it.

It is a 5.0L V8.
superpop - would you buy this boat for $12,800 without ever doing a lake test? ...just an inspection by a mechanic?

This is hard. I have some people saying "STAY AWAY!!!!" and others saying "its a steal, go for it" just want to keep in everyones mind that this is a company, not just a seller, so does that give any more power to the cause...?

Dont want to get tied up in court issues here....but lets just say I record Steve - the owner of Diversified Remarketing - saying he will gauruntee there wont be any problems, and hell fix anything wrong, etc etc. And then something does go south with the entire situation...how much proof is the recording, really?

-CUBE-

 

[cbavier]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

You've gotten a lot of good advice here. I too vote. Nothing in writing. Stay away. A salesman will tell you anything they think you want to hear to make a sale. No Lake/water test no deal and I would have it Marine Surveyed too. USCG Marine surveyor. Run cube21 run. Find another boat. There are lots of boats for sale out there.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

You've gotten a lot of good advice here. I too vote. Nothing in writing. Stay away. A salesman will tell you anything they think you want to hear to make a sale. No Lake/water test no deal and I would have it Marine Surveyed too. USCG Marine surveyor. Run cube21 run. Find another boat. There are lots of boats for sale out there.

Couldn't have said it better.

 

[tmh]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

How it rides depends on what you're looking for. If you want a Cadillac smooth ride in choppy waters - no, Bayliner 205 isn't the boat for you. Fast, responsive, fun ride ..... that boat with the V8 should deliver.

How does the salesman know the boat runs fine if HE'S never been on it in the water? It's a repo, right? So he's just blowing smoke. Being 3 years old it very well MAY run great, just no way to tell for sure.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

About all bank repo auctions will not let you drive any vehicle. Mostly a liability issue with the banks. Some auctions will let you start them up but that is all. That is why most vehicles at auctions go for less than a normal seller. Pretty much you get what you pay for. 50/50 chance your getting a Diamond in the Rough, or a Pig in a Poke.

The only time I buy a boat without doing a water test is when I know it is a project boat that needs some serious loving.

 

[superpop]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

It is not about what the seller is telling you whether it is a private party or a dealer. They can say anything they want and most amatuer recordings are not admissible in a court of law anyway. On a 4 year old boat, unless it was submerged or moored in Salt Water, the odds are it will be fine. You can easily check for this though if you know what you are looking for. More important than driving it is making sure that mechanically it is in good shape. A compression test will tell you a lot. You don't need to run it under load to verify the integrity of the motor, a good compression test will tell you more than enough about the motor. Running it on muffs for a while till it is up to temp and then checking the drive lube is a good idea too. If you are serious about it I would tell the seller, "look I am going to buy this boat if it checks out with my mechanic" then have your mechanic do a complete service on it and check all fluids, you will want that anyway if you buy it, then if the mechanic finds something major wrong, just walk away. You will be out 300 bucks or so but it will be some peace of mind if you do get it. And yes, a Bayliner is not a Cadillac but it is still a decent boat for getting out on the water. My MIL has a Bayliner 1950 classic with the 3.0 and it is a peppy boat, not real refined though.

 

[Chiliando]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

I don't think I would ever buy a boat without a sea-trial. Maybe if it was a year or two old and I was getting a greattttt deal and was factoring some unforseen repairs out of the saving.

The clincher for me here is the fact that you don't know how this model rides. I would want to know for sure that it is the right fir for me and my family before pulling the trigger.

Too many unkowns in this deal.

I would walk away as in this market you should be able to find the perfect deal for you and your family.

Just my .02....................

 

[ziggy]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

perhaps another thought to consider. the previous owner got it repo'ed. i would personally make the assumption that no regular preventive maint. has been performed on this boat by that person since he had trouble making the payments obviously. i would not take the seller business at their word that they've gone through it with a fine tooth comb to make it 100% again. all they want to do is get the most money out of it they can get. the less they fix and get away with the more dollars they make... a survey might cover seeing if they did bring it up to 100%. but myself. i'd be still be suspicious...

 

[Rocky_Road]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

perhaps another thought to consider. the previous owner got it repo'ed. i would personally make the assumption that no regular preventive maint. has been performed on this boat by that person since he had trouble making the payments obviously. i would not take the seller business at their word that they've gone through it with a fine tooth comb to make it 100% again. all they want to do is get the most money out of it they can get. the less they fix and get away with the more dollars they make... a survey might cover seeing if they did bring it up to 100%. but myself. i'd be still be suspicious...

Then again...the high costs of owning, and maintaining, his boat could have been what bankrupted him! He just may have dug himself too big of a money pit....

I submit that everyone here, can attest to the 'fact' that boat ownership...is not for the 'faint' of wallet!

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

IMO, doing a test ride in a boat should not be about deciding if you like the way it rides. That is something to find out by talking to people, reading reviews, etc. If I were the salesman on a deal involving a relatively inexpensive boat, I wouldn't do it either.

I think the suggestions here in regard to having a competent marine surveyor look at the boat are good. You might even find one that knows the business that you are dealing with - you never know what insights the surveyor may have about them.

You might also want to check the "buyers remorse" laws in your state. In some places, a product that is delivered to you at some place other than the seller's business can be returned within a certain period of time, with full or partial refund. If that is true where you are, insist that the boat be delivered to your home and do the deal in your kitchen. Then test ride the boat immediately. If there are previously undetected problems, you will have an "out."

I also agree with the others that we are currently in a buyers market. I doubt very much that your potential salesman is overworked at the moment. You've already offered to demonstrate your seriousness by offering a deposit, so maybe you should make the offer one more time, but make it clear that you will walk if there is no test ride.

 

[scoutabout]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

So, he's got time to "run through every nook and cranny" but can't spare the time to drop it in the lake for you. What a load of BS. My experience (admittedly, not much) with repo places is they are interested in moving merchandise...period. I don't believe for a second they run serious checks or do specialized maintenance. Add to that no written warranty?? Run, don't walk from these guys.

I know, it's real hard when you see something shiny you like and I have ignored my own advice at my peril. Easy for me to say, harder for you to do it.

Now, there may in fact be absolutely nothing wrong with the boat but you've touched on a very important point, which is, is it the right boat for you, considering how you want to use it, loads, purpose, etc. You can't judge that by brochures and second-hand info. You need to be out there behind the helm running it up and down the rev range and checking out the handling and ride for yourself.

 

[nightstalker]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

Don't be a sap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first two rules of buying a boat are compression tests and sea trials. I don't care what he promises, how reputable their business is, or what it looks like!!!!!!!!!!!! No sea trial, no sale!
nightstalker

 

[curling_coach]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

I don't want to add my two cents but this post caught my interest because I am looking for a boat myself and thought I wanted new. In my neck of the woods up here in Canada the closest water to the dealer is about an hour or so away (once spring comes) and they will not let me test drive a new boat.
I have talked to a US dealer and no problem. With the exchange rate now being high I find it tough to look at new right now.
Being winter up here and now looking at used boats it is tough to go to Florida or South Carolina or Ohio or anywhere if you catch my drift to test out a boat. Lot's to look at on ebay or iboats wherever but I just do not have the time to look for & book a marine surveyor and I cannot afford that every time I see a boat. Good deals to be had now I am sure but my location is just not conducive for used boat hunting. Guess I am stuck buying new even without the boat trial. I have looked at enough brochures I should know what I want.
Good luck in the hunt there cube21 I feel your pain.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

Cube21,

What is this salesmans knowledge of boats? I assume this business simply liquidates repo's toys..So is he a Car, plane, motorcycle expert or whatever happens to come in that day as well? Maybe he's a quad ATV expert too....

I would questions his/the company's ability to really "go through everything", if they did, show me a check sheet with tests results and problems discovered and fixed.

You are dead on to get her surveyed. Check what your Bayliner new would go for and leverage the results of the survey to new.

As far as recording, I think you have to ask permssion, not sure about that..

I personally could not spend that much $$ without any warranty IN WRITING.

I would be a hardass with him, his salesmanager..Not too many people are making large purchases now, there's some economy thing I hear that has people saving $$$, not buying boats. He knows all about it, I'm sure he's heard it's going around.

Best of luck to you, it sucks but I have to admit I wish I had your problem! lol

 

[dave11]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

Don't be a sap!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The first two rules of buying a boat are compression tests and sea trials. I don't care what he promises, how reputable their business is, or what it looks like!!!!!!!!!!!! No sea trial, no sale!
nightstalker

That sums it up pretty well for me too.

 

[dorelse]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

Purchased my 1st boat in January in MN, from a reputable dealer. Told me everything was great.

I know this is crazy to say for someone in MN, but I knew no one who could help me go over the boat. (Wait for it...)

Used the boat 3x, motor throws a piston ring on the 2nd day of vacation in July. Can't say if it was my fault or bum motor...but it never ran right from day 1...

However, the only bum boat I've had, was the one I didn't water test and trusted the dealer that the compression was good...

Learned my lesson the hard way. Swapping out the motor net cost was about $800 by the time I was done...could have been worse.

But the real lesson was...that it could have been avoided...

 

[JB25VIP]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

i know youve been getting most of the same info on all of your replies but i thought that i might throw this in.

it seems like you are dead set on this boat and if its what you want, its what you want. not disputing that but.........

for 12,800 it seems a little steep especially with no lake test, sit back and wait on another one, where i'm from <tx>, there are people everywhere trying to sell their 20-22 ft bowriders (all brands) in the neighborhood of $10,000, seems to me you might stumble upon someone whose kids have grown up, left the nest and the poor fella now has no use for his boat which he has kept immaculate with all service records and will be more than happy to take you on a test run.

The economy is tough, DEALS are everywhere, with cash in hand you can name your price (to a certain extent i mean) i would wait, you might be making a mistake if this joker won't put any warranty in writing.

 

[cube21]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

Yep. Lots of the same stuff. We decided to just relax on it for now. We might call back in a while and hassle him, see if we can work out a more fair deal, but for now well watch it go. Ill repost of anything else happens.

It looked like exactly what we want, but as a first time boat owner, buying a boat without a lake test isnt what we had in mind. In the off season theres not that many boats around here in phoenix - sorry cardinals :'( - but were still looking. Were just too damn picky so finding the right mixture of everything we want is difficult. Itll come around.

Thanks everyone for all your posts and opinions. Love this site!

-CUBE-

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

I don't put any faith in any dealership or manufacturers "X point inspection". We just recently bought a GM Certified car. In order to be certified, it was supposed to have passed a rigorous X point inspection. We had to have a small oil leak and warped brake rotors repaired immediately after purchasing. It was no big deal, the dealer gave us no hassle and the repairs were completed satisfactorily but the point is that these things should have been noticed if any kind of inspection was done. I truly think they just get the vehicles from auction or trade, put them right out on the lot, and then deal with any issues the buyer finds instead of preventative fixing anything.

 

[Rowroy]

Re: Buying a used boat without a water test? Fair?

I'm in the same boat as you (pun intended). I, too, have found the "perfect boat", but am struggling with the decision to "pull the trigger". My issues are different from yours, but I'm playing the same game.

I think there are a few items you should consider:

1. It's February. How much use will you get out of it now?
2. It's not the only boat of that type in the world.
3. As Americans (or Canadians), we are spoiled, and therefore, assume we are due instant gratification. Waiting a few months never killed anyone (unless you're on the brink of death already. In which case, just buy the thing, while you still have time).

The one thing that helps me to wait is to remember how great I have it now. A new boat won't enhance this; but that's just me.