First off... Hi everyone, my first post on iboats.com I've been luring the past week after my family and I decided we'd like to get a boat. So, we're looking at our first boat. While we can afford new, and having the warm fuzzy feeling of a new boat with warranty and no unknown history (unmolested as I like to call it), we're looking at used boats too, then sell off and trade up in a year or 2 if the allure is still there (this is generally not my MO, as I normally buy what I want the fist time new and then keep it "until the wheels fall off" and then go a little further).
We are going to look at a 1995 Sea Ray 175 with 3.0 mercruiser... new prop, new plugs, oil change recently done according to owner. He's the 2nd owner and looks to be getting out of boating after selling off their lake house. Throwing in all of their equipment with it (PFDs, skis, some sort of inflatable towable, etc). Asking $5700, we got him down to $4800 over teh phone and could maybe work on him some more. My wife is the master negotiator in our family, so I'll let her work him over while I check things out. The owner did say that the mechanic that serviced it thought it had a lifter causing a ticking when he had it serviced last, but was going to wait until fall to get fixed if he still had it. From pictures, it looks like it was well maintained (not sure about the 1st owner, but this guy kept it in a covered lift at their lake house until they recently sold it. He did admit that it has a small rip in the vinyl on the engine cover, but the seats are all in good shape.
So I have a few questions...
1. Is that price ($4800) about right for this boat?
2. Should I be looking for a newer boat for a first boat? is a 15 year old boat at an age where it's going to give me trouble? I wrench om my cars/trucks/motorcycles on my own, but don't want to get a bad taste in my mouth for boating by buying someone else problem for my first boat.
3. Should I be really concerned about the possible lifter issue if that's truely what it is? I know it could be something worse, but probably wouldn't know until it was too late.
4. Anything specific about this year/model that I need to go over extra close on?
Thanks, Bryce
We are going to look at a 1995 Sea Ray 175 with 3.0 mercruiser... new prop, new plugs, oil change recently done according to owner. He's the 2nd owner and looks to be getting out of boating after selling off their lake house. Throwing in all of their equipment with it (PFDs, skis, some sort of inflatable towable, etc). Asking $5700, we got him down to $4800 over teh phone and could maybe work on him some more. My wife is the master negotiator in our family, so I'll let her work him over while I check things out. The owner did say that the mechanic that serviced it thought it had a lifter causing a ticking when he had it serviced last, but was going to wait until fall to get fixed if he still had it. From pictures, it looks like it was well maintained (not sure about the 1st owner, but this guy kept it in a covered lift at their lake house until they recently sold it. He did admit that it has a small rip in the vinyl on the engine cover, but the seats are all in good shape.
So I have a few questions...
1. Is that price ($4800) about right for this boat?
2. Should I be looking for a newer boat for a first boat? is a 15 year old boat at an age where it's going to give me trouble? I wrench om my cars/trucks/motorcycles on my own, but don't want to get a bad taste in my mouth for boating by buying someone else problem for my first boat.
3. Should I be really concerned about the possible lifter issue if that's truely what it is? I know it could be something worse, but probably wouldn't know until it was too late.
4. Anything specific about this year/model that I need to go over extra close on?
Thanks, Bryce
)... no worries that someone has done something stoopid to it (remember those carfax commercials like the one where the guy let his dog drive teh truck into the pond?)
