Craig Listed Boats

[AZBoatDreamer]

What comes to your mind when you see a boat that is listed on Craigs list for several weeks?

Price Too High
Must be something wrong with it
Scam Ad

Any other red flags that you want to mention.

Thanks

David

 

[scutly]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

my boat was on craigslist for over a month before i bought her. there where TONS of boats listed on long island this summer. nice stuff going cheap with guys pleading for you to buy so they can make a mortgage payment. lots of listings got lost unless they where relisted every day. i was able to chop 2 grand off the sale price in the guys driveway

 

[Craigcat]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

I always ask if I can tow it down to the lake before I pay for it, and will
be back in a few hours.

http://www.toughboats.com/video.cfm?fullscreen=1&filename=Toughboats_BubbaCRevLegal

 

[divimon2000]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

Price is too high. (dreamland). It's what the owner thinks its worth, not based on realities of market.

 

[JimKW]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

Mine was on Craigslist for quite some time before I bought it. Also got it for $2k less than the asking price.

In my case I kept looking for a smaller lighter boat that I could tow with and the one I wanted was bought out from under me. I kept going back and looking at the one I ended up buying and saying that's the one I want. Finally I did an even swap on my car for a small truck.

The boat was only 10 minutes from where I work, so I went and looked at it during lunch. The guy selling was on vacation at the time and I called him and talked to him. He said he would be back Saturday was taking another guy who looked at it out on Sunday and I could go out on it too at that time.

I went and looked at it again the next day and called and made a deal that I would buy it on Sunday if everything worked out with the test ride and came to an agreement on the price while on the phone. Didn't want him calling the other guy and say I have an offer for xxx can you beat it?

It had to have been on Craigslist for more than a month. He did NOT keep re-posting it though. It was just the one ad for the entire time. I got it for $1200 less than he owed on it.

 

[nitsuj]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

I agree, it's usually the price. Scam ads are easy to spot and I can't believe anyone falls for them, but I suppose they must. But the scammers usually don't run the same ad over and over. They run one in lots of different locations.

Theres a ton of people selling boats cheap because they're in trouble. But there seems to be just as many people who live in some sort of alternate reality about what their boat is worth.

 

[BWR1953]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

I always ask if I can tow it down to the lake before I pay for it, and will
be back in a few hours.

http://www.toughboats.com/video.cfm?fullscreen=1&filename=Toughboats_BubbaCRevLegal

 

[rokrau]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

What comes to your mind when you see a boat that is listed on Craigs list for several weeks?

Price Too High

I have bought one boat on CL, a few cars, lots of smaller things.

Yep, there is always 20% in it. I usually offer 2/3 of the asking price, if and only if I am interested and ready to do the deal.

Many people live in dreamland when it comes to "recouping" an investment that they thought they had made. Takes about one mortgage payment time frame to realize a "liability".

Must be something wrong with it

Otherwise it wouldn't be up for sale

Scam Ad

Are easy to spot. sfbay.craigslist.org/boa community is fairly quick removing these. I wish there was a flagging tool though.

Any other red flags that you want to mention.

Some boat owners insist on that it is too much hassle to put the boat on the water. Walk - no run - at the slightest hint of such inconvenience, unless of course the boat is free

Some want to sell the trailer extra, or toys, or wakeboard tower etc.. some insist on KBB or NADA... Usually KBB since NADA is low. That's all BS. I never discuss any of that. Offer is offer, take it or leave it.

After having bought my first boat this summer after a two year search I'd go so far to say that for the next boat I wouldn't even say whether I am interested before having had the thing on the water.

Also - prices drop sharply after Labor Day. It's bargain time but still gets better in January when it's time to pay for Christmas presents etc.. and summer seems so far away.

Good luck shopping.
Roland

 

[xxturbowesxx]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

I will add a lack of pictures It annoys me when people try to sell large items on craigslist without pictures.

 

[RotaryRacer]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

I have been persuing a boat on craigslist for 2 months now. They were listed about $2.5k higher than comparable boats to begin with. I talked with them on and off and then finally stated what I would be willing to pay for it. They told me exactly what they owed and the two numbers were pretty close together. I then had an acquitance that was closer to the boat take a look at it and found that the condition was pretty bad. I told them I wouldn't be willing to buy unless they came down a lot further on price. They couldn't and then reposted for $500 more than they owed which was reasonable for a boat in good condition. I let it sit for about 3 weeks and discussed a number $2k less than we had discussed previously and they weren't offended. Now, it looks like they may have sold it to someone else. No idea at what price.

There is another boat that was just posted the other day. It was posted back in May for $1900 less than they posted it for this week. I would have bought it back in May if I had the cash. I guess the trade in value of his boat is what is driving his new price....that is surprsing in many ways.

 

[bob johnson]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

I saw quite a few really good looking deals....on packages... and they were all gone when I called..

some people know if they NEED the cash, they got to sell their boat to a guy before he buys someone elses!!!

in this day and time, with what happened financially and what is going on in the job market.....it is a virtual fire sale out there for big superflous toys

bob

 

[Boss Hawg]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

I've had two buying experiences off Craigs
The 1st was pleasant & turned out nicely
The second turned out to be a freekin nightmare

 

[BWR1953]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

One aspect of an ad that stays on for a long time is that sometimes the item IS priced correctly and that the seller isn't in dire straits, but can wait until someone meets the asking price.

I've bought and sold from craigslist, currently have a few items for sale and am also looking to buy. Overall, the experience is a good one.

I will also say that back when I sold my 115hp Merc tower of power that as I dropped the price, I got SOME responses, but when it got too low, interest waned. So, I gave it a few days, then relisted it for HIGHER than my original asking price and immediately sold the engine.

Sometimes, too low a price gives the impression that something major is wrong with an item, not that the seller is desperate.

YMMV

 

[BLU LUNCH]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

I had our 88 Searay Seville for sale for 12 weeks new I/O 2 years ago 21 hours on it rebuilt out drive, new gimble bearing, tons of other parts, the boat was mint. The economy here is terrible I was asking 2700. I sold it for 2K. Too much spam emails from the ad........................

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

Thanks for all the Replies.

Until I decide to buy a boat later this year I will continue to watch craigs list and monitor the trend of boats for sale.

 

[jkust]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

In MN the land of 10,000+ lakes and the most boats per capita in the country there are suprisingly not as many boats for sale as you think and almost no upper-end, newer, small bowriders here on CL. Most of the newer ones are Brunswick or other large manufacturer brand and then the majority very old or way out of production and just beat. If you are in the market and you finally see one of the above on CL, you better run get it quick. Generally I found the equivalent boat on boats.com or carsoup.com to be more expensive than a comparible CL ad. Same with snomobiles.

 

[Y-Guy]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

I've been boat shopping for over a month. I used the Craigs search and set a distance limit, then I'd plug in boat brands and then PDF each listing that met my criteria. Then I put them into a spreadsheet noting the features, condition and price. That helped me to begin go notice the good deal trends and the bad ones. I also got used to seeing the same boats posted over and over and over. Some were way over priced boats, others that were reasonable wouldn't negotiate as they were already upside down in the value and some were in bad shape. That list helped me to find the boat I am buying and determine what I thought was a good deal on it.

 

[Tommyfmu]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

Apparently the guy we bought our boat from right before Christmas this past season had his boat listed on CL for months at a pretty reasonable price for the model and age but between the recession and glut of sellers in the Long Island area during Fall it didn't budge but he got lots of interest from used dealers offering him 1/2 so he told them he'd sell them 1/2, either the front or the back. Being middle of Winter and middle of recession, he offered 2k less than what was listed on CL right away, but we asked again what is the lowest he'd take which was another 3k lower. Then we had mechanic inspection which turned up a good report card except for slight wear in the bellows, so we offered 500. less than his lowest offer which he accepted. We found many small repairs needed, but all easy and manageable (new horn, water heater, stern light socket, fresh water pump filter cracked)

 

[_chris_]

Re: Craig Listed Boats

Around here the good boats go quick and the older fixer uppers that are way over priced will stay for a long time. I think it is funny when someone lists their boat at say 8 am for 5000 and by 10 they are down to 4200 and by noon it is at 3500, then I will see at a week later at 1200 and they are usually worth about 5-800. I can see where people come from if they bought their only boat 5 years ago for 10 grand and have no clue about depreciation and simply just don't know what to ask for but you can usually tell those from the others.