Re: Boat Shopping SUCKS
Funny thing I've bought my last 3 boats via Craigslist, but never sold one of my old ones in Craigslist. As far as selling, I tried CL, but just go to many tire kickers, buyers w/o money that wanted me to finance. And of course the brokers trying to sell it for you.. Boat Trader cost , but at least I received calls from a more boat-educated sector, even if they never panned out. Believe it or not I ended up selling my last 4 boats by posting for sale signs on them and using peg boards at the marinas. As far as buying, I've had cutty cabins, runabouts, pontoons, cruisers and off shore boats. Seems I change every few years if I get bored with one style. I can say it's taken up to 6 or more months of looking to find what I wanted in the condition and price range I had set. And they are out there on CL, but first rule is to be patient, don't get emotional or fall in love with any boat, that means never take the wife for the first look. Know the boats high/low value before looking, know what to look for, assume seller is a used car salesman, inspect & verify everything yourself, I tend to stay from any ad that advertise standard maintenance items like new battery, new impeller, new starter, fresh oil, XX hours on rebuilt engine, etc.. None of that adds value, just tells you a lot of stuff was broken and may mean boat was not running prior and has been bandaged up for a sale. Most important walk away from a lousy financial deal. There are too many out there to settle. If at all possible keep your old boat till you get a replacement, takes a lot of pressure off the buying process.
