Anyone Tried to Buy a Boat Lately?

[TooReel]

15 calls/emails over the last couple of months and only 3 reply's. It's not like I was making low ball offers or anything. I just wanted to know things like hours/maintenance/more pictures etc. These are both dealers and individuals from Miami to Destin.

The one offer I made was within 10% of the asking price and I got a stone cold no.

Anybody had the same experience? It is getting kind of frustrating.

Looking for a good family friendly fishing boat 23-25 feet, preferably with twins. Shortlist is Sailfish 2360, ProLine 24SS, Donzi 23 ZF and SeaChaser 2400.

[auguste]

15 calls/emails over the last couple of months and only 3 reply's. It's not like I was making low ball offers or anything. I just wanted to know things like hours/maintenance/more pictures etc. These are both dealers and individuals from Miami to Destin.

The one offer I made was within 10% of the asking price and I got a stone cold no.

Anybody had the same experience? It is getting kind of frustrating.

Looking for a good family friendly fishing boat 23-25 feet, preferably with twins. Shortlist is Sailfish 2360, ProLine 24SS, Donzi 23 ZF and SeaChaser 2400.

Had exactly the same result . . . seems that if there is not a great big commission and next to no work required, most brokers are non-responsive and unwilling to do any work.

On the other side, I do not know what percentage of buyers are serious or not.

Either way brokers are not responding if the boat is less than $100K or more . . . that is my experience during the last 18 months or so

[MyGal]

I've never felt like they were taking me seriously on the phone/e-mail, etc. In person dealing made a difference.

[Pearl Diver]

I purchased my first boat two years ago and had some issues with brokers... They assumed I was too young to be serious. I ended up driving 8 or so hours from Savannah to Beaufort, NC just because the broker took his time and answered my questions! And bought the boat

Kudos to John @ Radio Island Marina and I feel your pain.

[40cr]

How about a 1999 Wellcraft 270 coastal, twin 200 johnsons.....very good condition.

[TooReel]

Too big, I'm limited by slip/canal size.

How about a 1999 Wellcraft 270 coastal, twin 200 johnsons.....very good condition.

[Mike Carrigan]

15 calls/emails over the last couple of months and only 3 reply's. It's not like I was making low ball offers or anything. I just wanted to know things like hours/maintenance/more pictures etc. These are both dealers and individuals from Miami to Destin.

The one offer I made was within 10% of the asking price and I got a stone cold no.

Anybody had the same experience? It is getting kind of frustrating.

Looking for a good family friendly fishing boat 23-25 feet, preferably with twins. Shortlist is Sailfish 2360, ProLine 24SS, Donzi 23 ZF and SeaChaser 2400.

[Mike Carrigan]

15 calls/emails over the last couple of months and only 3 reply's. It's not like I was making low ball offers or anything. I just wanted to know things like hours/maintenance/more pictures etc. These are both dealers and individuals from Miami to Destin.

The one offer I made was within 10% of the asking price and I got a stone cold no.

Anybody had the same experience? It is getting kind of frustrating.

Looking for a good family friendly fishing boat 23-25 feet, preferably with twins. Shortlist is Sailfish 2360, ProLine 24SS, Donzi 23 ZF and SeaChaser 2400.

The PRO-LINE 24SS has been discontined for "2010".

The 23 SPORT that was introduced a few years back hurt the sales of the 24SS to the extent the model has been discontinued.

It's a guess, only a guess, that an offer of 10% below the asking price would then go to what the asking price was.

I do all the factory pricing for PRO-LINE.

The goal was to liquidate all non current product prior to the winter months.

In doing so my priceing was below dealer cost.

Made more sense to do that than pay interest on the product all winter.

My internal inventory, and field inventory is quite low with small boats.

We were quite succesful accomplishing what our plan was.

If I priced a boat at say 10% to 20% below dealer cost to turn it, and you offered me 10% below that, I would decline. Politely, but none the less, could not do it.

[4/0]

Mike,

Glad to see you over here. I enjoyed reading your posts over there and I have learned a lot from them. Doubt I could have showed your restraint sometimes though.

Butch

Too Reel,

Apologize for going O/T on you.

Butch

[Mr. Paul]

no matter how good the deal is, if it's not a deal in the persons mind, there will be no deal.

The above scenario is more common than you would ever believe.

edit to try and make that statement make sense.

Edited December 20, 2009 by Mr. Paul