Buying New ?

[mr_grumble2003]

Hey guys, I'm looking at a 420 Stacer with 40HP at one of our local outlets here on the Central Coast and I am wondering whether buying a boat is similar to buying a new car from a dealer, in the fact that they may be open to bargaining ?

I've not yet tried and hoped that some of you who possibly have all ready been through the processes of purchasing a new boat may be able to give me some idea of what to expect as a result of bargaining.

I'm also consideriing lookiing for the same boat on the 2nd hand market, hoping to pick up a 1-2 yr old for substancially less (may even be able to afford a 440 even )

One of the options was the 40HP over the standard 30HP, Is the 30HP under sized for this boat ?

They seem to be wanting to steer me towards either a Johnson or a Mariner engine....... any good ?

[Flattieman]

Mate, I'm not sure whether bartering is possible (I haven't tried) - I doubt you'd get very far . I DO know that you can save an absolute mint by buying second hand. Just be patient, look around and don't be afraid to go for a drive to pick one up (remember - the cost of living is less in QLD ). Hope this helps,

Flattieman.

[reel_success]

you can bargain about 5-7% of the total price

[mr_grumble2003]

Thats about what I expected.

In particular purchasing just prior to end of financial year.

I know with various vehicles this has been the case, dealerships wanting to squeeze in as many sales as they can before the financial year runs out.

In particular, I have found a Brooker 435 getabout runabout , trailer and 40HP 2 strk Tohatsu package for $15,400

I don't know much about Tohatsu, so I would be swapping that for something else I recognise a little more, obviously pushing the price up another $1 - $2K or so.

With my budget being stretched to $15K, I don't want to just settle for what I can afford when I may be able to put off the purchase to the winter months and potentially save some. Might make the diff between what I can afford and what I would really like

I'll put it to you all, does the above package sound competitive ? I'll be doing some ringing around later in the week to find some more prices but me being me...... I'm too impatient

Edited March 12, 2006 by mr_grumble

[reel_success]

with boats i find that in winter you can always do better than in summer

[Grantm]

Buying Stacer on the coast only means one place. Just as an example i bought my current boat from there a while ago and got SEVERAL thousand dollars off cause i screwed em on old stock and they were happy to clear it. ( not a stacer though )

You could be in a good posi if the boat you are buying is the old model. Bare in mind that Stacer are going through a model change and depending on stock levels you can pick one up cheap. They are busting their balls to get the new range in which may give you a shot if the boat is the old model. If you are buying the new model you wont get a lot off but give it a go.

IMPORTANT NOTE

Check the built date ! If its an old model and even older stock there is a bargain to be had. Its still new but dealers HATE old stock and will shift it cheap. Some of these old stockers are over a year old but just make sure you happy to have that.

Price can always be negotiated harder the older the stock is and when there is a model change. che- ching !

Go the 40 on that boat. The 30 is the recommended size and 40 max size so go the big one, you can always run it at 3/4 throttle. I prefer the Johno over the Mariner all day long.

go get em.

edit - Ill add one more thing, go see Craig Huett and give him a go too, you will be assured of getting a professionally set up boat with the right advice.

Edited March 13, 2006 by Grantm

[jewnut]

i was looking at buying a Stacer 525 Easyrider sports a few years back and i bargained hard. Went in to a few Sydney dealerships to see exactly what i was after then i set about phoning about a dozen Stacer dealers ( i even rang a Queensland dealer who was competitive even with freight) and the price differences were significant across the range ($4000 from best to worst) for identical packages. I even got free motor upgrades (90 to 115hp). After all that, i ended up going halves with my brother on a second hand Bayliner for the same money

pm me if you want to know specific dealers i found good to deal with and willing to bargain.

p.s. know exactly what you want when shopping around and once they know your serious and ready to buy they WILL bargain.