Any room for new boat price negotiation, or is it take it or leave it?

[harringtondav]

Again, a small dealer/brand sample size here, but I've run into "the manufacturer dictates our selling price" on my two top brand picks. 19-20' BRs.

A bit smelly to me after nicely negotiating down MSRP on eight new autos. KBB, Edmunds and others help with vehicle price transparency, but I'm clueless regarding new boat profit margins. Before I spray on a dose of whoop as* and start pushing, does anyone have an idea of a dealer's working margins in this size boat?

 

[racerone]

Was at a dealer today and saw one package listed at around $85,000 on special at $66,000.-----Others marked down as well.----Canadian funds.

 

[GA_Boater]

Buy at a boat show for the best prices.

Also remember that boats are toys and not a necessity. Cars and boats really can't be compared due to sheer volume and competition. The county I live in has a large lake, 3 boat dealers and about 15 new car dealers.

 

[alldodge]

With new in most cases its take or leave

Also in most cases there are 1 to 5 year old that are in great shape and just not being used, just takes that looking. Do understand the new boat smell, bought one once, but only once

 

[dingbat]

Can’t count the number of times I’ve walked out in the middle of vehicle negotiations. Don’t have the patients for amateurs anymore.

Twenty five years of Capital equipment sales. Fifteen years at regional, the last ten at Global level.

Most work on commission so they don’t want to loose a perspective customer if they can redirect you to something in your stated budget.

Don’t let them start the msrp game. Shut them down immediately. It’s a cop out. Call them on it and ask for someone who has pricing authority.

Give them the amount of money your willing to spend (financed) and let them point you to products while slowly moving towards your real goal.

I walked out twice when we bought the truck last Spring. Didn’t lower the price of the truck one bit but ended up with $1,500 in options at no additional charge.

Having said that, I would never buy a new boat. It takes time to find them, but boats in like new condition are sitting unused in dry racks and trailers everywhere.

I bought my current boat when 2 years old with less than a 40 hours. The msrp on the boat at the time was $97k. I bought it for $40k. The guy had a larger model on order and sold it to me for loan value.

A friend bought a loaded, like new 25’ Parker pilot house from a recently widowed women a couple years back for 30 cents on the dollar. Again, payoff value. She just wanted it gone.

This works better if you live in an area with a lot of disposable income but the deals are out there if you have the time and patients to look

 

[ahicks]

Agree with the smell of comments like that. I would make sure they understand they are not the only dealer around selling these boats.

Not big on the new boat plan here either, but if I were in the process, I would check with a dealer that doesn't have one in stock. See what it would take to have him order one and process the paperwork for you. With absolutely NO money of his own involved, he may be willing to work on a pretty skinny profit margin, especially in the off season....

 

[briangcc]

Very simply....wrong time to be buying a new boat. Demand is up, people may have tax returns/bonuses and the kiddos/admiral are now wanting a boat for the summertime. There isn't much negotiating beyond what the various manufacturers are offering in terms of incentives.

You're much more likely to find deals come August/September on left over model year boats as they're trying to clear them to make room for the new ones. I could have saved around 5k I think had I bought my new Chap in September.

 

[Starcraft5834]

Manf dictates price? what a bunch of nonsense... that's the dealers easy out for unwillingness to negotiate.. why do 2019 boat prices slashed? to get rid of them.

 

[harringtondav]

Thanks all. You've verified what I thought about boat pricing. Low volume, hand built toys vs. mass produced commodities.

I also understand the price advantage buying used. I just have to get over my phobia of used boats. If I can find one a few years old that wasn't beaten and kept dry I'd consider it.

I'm in no hurry. A new boat is a 'want' for me, not a 'must'. Our lil' Larson is in great shape. Plan B per briangcc is to sell the Larson late in the summer (once I commit to the upgrade) and look for off season pricing, or a good used boat.

 

[Cortes100]

I think it has lots to do with your region, supply and demand, if people are spending $$$. Online shopping is your friend when checking prices in different areas.
When I bought my new boat in 2017, our Alberta economy was in the dumpster, actually still not good.. 2016 was a very poor year and nobody spending cash for those luxury toys.. There were dealers with full inventory packed into a warehouse. Great pickings for the buyer. Sticker price did not mean a thing at that time.

As for buying used, my previous 8 year old boat had low hours, always stored in heated garage, not a scratch on the hull, looked like new. Very easy sale.. So they're out there.

 

[JimS123]

Do a little R&D and you can find out dealer markup:

https://seedealercost.com/recv

What you'll find is that different companies have different business models, and also the size of the boat dictates the profit margin.

As a few examples....

Boston Whaler policy is no discount. They mandate a certain distance between dealers so there is basically no competition. However, this year their DO have rebates, but I think its largely because of Mercury Marine's rebates.

Chaparral has "value pricing". The sticker is already discounted and it's what you pay.

Many of the others will give you a discount, but it depends on whether its in-stock or on-order, and if you've been a past customer.

Of course, last year's models are usually discounted. Beware of the itemized bill, not just the bottom line. They can add $1000 for dealer prep and then give you a $1000 discount to make you think you got a deal.

IMHO, Winter, before the boat show, is the best time to buy. If you're willing to take what they have on the lot, then OK. But if you want special colors or options you have to get the order in early. Our boat show was last week and talking to several dealers some models are already sold out for the 2020 model year.

 

[harringtondav]

Thanks JimS123 Good info in the link. My two top picks are shown. Unfortunately one is a Chaparral, and as you say, the dealer hasn't much to work with. The other, a Regal has even less room. Both have web bottom line pricing.

I use Kelly Blue Book.com when shopping for a new vehicle. I've settled a bit below "dealer invoice" on the last six. That tells me "invoice" still leaves the auto dealer room.

 

[JimS123]

Thanks JimS123 Good info in the link. My two top picks are shown. Unfortunately one is a Chaparral, and as you say, the dealer hasn't much to work with. The other, a Regal has even less room. Both have web bottom line pricing.

I use Kelly Blue Book.com when shopping for a new vehicle. I've settled a bit below "dealer invoice" on the last six. That tells me "invoice" still leaves the auto dealer room.

Back in 1973 I learned about Edmunds "True Market Value" and bought their book every time I ordered a new car. Today its free online. "Invoice price" is merely a guide for consumers that are not cost savy. I have always priced out a car with the options I wanted and gone to the dealer with the TMV. I have never paid more than that price, and have never had a dealer refuse my offer.

Car Dealers get a kickback at the end of the year based on their sales volume.

Some boat manufacturers require that their dealers buy a certain number of boats or their franchise will be dropped. That's why you see different brands pop up from time to time. In my area, the Chap, Starcraft, SeaRay and Whaler delaers are the only ones that have sold their brand for a long time.

 

[Elkins45]

I've never bought a used car. I almost did last year but I found a new one for not much more than people were asking for ones that were worn out.

On the flip side, I've never bought a new boat with the exception of a Jon boat (hull only, no motor or trailer) and even it was a dented old stock model. It's super important to me that my vehicles are reliable, and none of them have a trolling motor that can get me home in an emergency. Besides, having a new boat is no guarantee that you won't get a batch of bad gas and gum up the carb...and the warranty won't cover that. Of course I'm kinda talking out of both sides of my mouth here because I'm sort of flirting with the idea of a new Bass Tracker Classic, but that's a 12K boat.

Somewhere out there is a good deal on a boat. I looked four about 6 weeks before I found my current boat. It was 10 years old, obviously garage kept and looked like it just rolled off the factory floor. Every single feature worked (and still does) which was something I had never experienced before. Hit Craigslist every day, check Boat Trader and eBay. Your boat is out there somewhere.

 

[Lowlysubaruguy]

If theres a waiting list for your boat there less likely to drop 35%. If you find a boat thats been on the lot for a year they will most likely have a lot more wiggle room. Not always. My current boat is exactly what I wanted but it was just out of my price range or for a little more I could have had more cowbells so I waited 7 months in fact then one day they called me we hashed out a price that was as good as I was going to get on a new bot now and forever. I rolled the dice and waited if this boat had sold I probably would have bought a used boat because the price difference was a modest amount. Turned out no one wants a center console boat in the NW and it sat a long time.

Many years ago I tried to buy a smaller aluminum fishing boat 16 foot range it was way over priced but had a lot of options. I made my offer a couple of times and they were not interested at all. I found a dealer 110 miles away that matched my offer same boat with an upgraded fish finder to boot. Two years later they sold that now almost 3 year old new boat for quite a bit less than my offer.

 

[Starcraft5834]

Ok, will be that guy Harringtond...... i c your looking for V hulls... if you want the most room and ability for water sports,, consider getting a toon with a decent sized outboard.... i had a 20 ft cuddy for 5 years,, was fun,,, but not big enough for more than 3.... i got new 20 ft toon last year with a 115 4 stroke merc.. w-ski tow tower...was on NYS Finger lakes 6 times and 15+ times on local 150 acre lake lst summer 4 mins from my house-- have a little kicker bracket (custom made for me by neighbor metal shop fab) for small hp on restricted waters... the comfort and room offered is staggering... assuming you get an engine big enough.. you can do everything a V hull can do with more room for far less $. should have got a toon a long time ago... tri toons today plain haul *** now...

 

[harringtondav]

Ok, will be that guy Harringtond...... i c your looking for V hulls... if you want the most room and ability for water sports,, consider getting a toon with a decent sized outboard

Thanks. I've considered a toon. Most common boat going past our place. But I think I can get a 200hp BR for <$40K, all in.
Haven't priced toons, but I'm guessing I couldn't get much for that amount of $$.

 

[Starcraft5834]

look first.. you might be surprised