RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

[jdlough]

Last fall, I passed on a couple of used boats, thinking I'd have all winter and a lousy economy to find a nice, cheaper one now.

Where are they?

All I see out there is junk. Craigslist, Ebay, iBoats. All junk. Maybe it's from the same people who can't pay their mortgages, and think their boats (like their houses) are worth more than they actually are.

I think people who could afford nice boats are keeping them.

Where are the folks needing to save a bit, so they're selling their 2000 17' 115 HP OB Hurricane deckboat for $6000? Where's the 1985 19' Manatee garage-kept bowrider with the the 2002 135HP OB for $2600? (I passed on both - idiot) Why does anyone think that any POS 14' aluminum Gamefisher rowboat is worth $1000?

Why do I keep seeing these uncovered, yard-rotted, no-maintenanced, 'low hour' lawn-ornaments, who talk about 'pay-off amounts'? Why do I care about their pay-off amount? What does that have to do with ME? Does EVERYONE have a 'buyout' mentality now?

Do used boat prices actually seem to be going UP?

What is going on?

Sorry for the rant. Please go back to watching 'House' on TV now. (It's the one where that guy almost died, then they figured it out, and he's OK now)

Jim

 

[thepotroast]

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Fall/Winter prices are a lot different than Spring/Summer prices in the boating world.

 

[jpmurphy]

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

yup. This time of year the prices are higher because its the beginning of the season. Been shoping for an outboard and I watched the prices change from last summer, through the winter, and now into spring. This stuff is higher now. Just a fact of economics, supply and demand and all that stuff we learned about in school.

 

[5150abf]

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Dude, no more caffiene for you!

Not everyone bought a house they couldn't afford alot of people have lost their jobs and need to make some money and if a clapped out boat is all they have to sell then who can blame them for trying to get what they can.

I wish you luck on your boat search but I have to say it is going to be a very long journey if you don't improve your attitude about it, if you had a house payment due and no job I think your boat would suddenly be worth alittle more.

And I wouldn't watch House if you held a gun to my head, where the hell does this guy live that every week someone comes in a with a never before seen disease????

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

remember the are "asking prices" not "selling prices". also as a moderator, i will say what is going on, i much nicer and more pleasant to read than WTF.

 

[s1120]

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

I got to say, I noticed the same thing. When you can find a close to a good deal, its junk. Hoping it eavens out when the weather brakes.

 

[jdlough]

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Sorry,

And really I am sorry. I am just so PO'd at MYSELF for passing on that not-quite-perfect boat last fall, expecting lower prices now, thinking there'd be a flood of boats on the market. I guess I'm just as greedy as everybody else.

There is no such thing as a perfect boat. And prices are what they are, and should be. I am SO PO'd at myself for missing the buying season, and those couple of boats that I now realize were really nice. And are gone.

(I was so dang picky over the exact model the Merc 150 OB was, by the time I figured it out, the 21' Deckboat was gone - idiot)

I wish there was a "RANT DELETE" button. I feel like a double idiot. Missing the fall sales, and whining about it now.

I was hoping for commiseration, but you all are right. I'm just whining.
Is there a "whine - delete" button?

I really could use one,
Jim

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Don't worry, the right deal will come along again. There is a lot of negotiation between the asking and selling price. If you find something you like then make your offer and if it is not accepted leave the seller a card with your telephone number and your offer price. You may just get a call. If you do then you can negotiate down a little further as clearly nobody wants that particular boat right now.

 

[SS MAYFLOAT]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

I keep hearing the worst is yet to come and things will be tough before the economy gets better. Most people will hang on to their toys and let the Repo men take them. Best time to by a boat, especially up north is just before its time to winterize and before the snowfall.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

one of the problems is people did with boats, what they did with houses and cars, they leveraged their income. finance more than they should. now the loan balances are higher than the actual value of the boats. for you to be able to get clear title, they have to pay off the loan, or just let the boat go to the loan company, who will then try to get the balance.

the credit union here is having a big repo sale, motor homes, boats, newer cars, atv's.

 

[cbavier]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

I keep hearing the worst is yet to come and things will be tough before the economy gets better. Most people will hang on to their toys and let the Repo men take them. Best time to by a boat, especially up north is just before its time to winterize and before the snowfall.

Yea when the late fall comes the Boats and RV's for sale almost disapear up north. Then again in the Spring anything worth having is sky high again. I've been looking for two years for a project Pontoon. All I can find is either Junk or if decent they want a fortune for one. I look at Craigslist as well as Ebay, want ads and watch along the highway and in yards. I just keep looking. I'll either find one eventually or go without until I do.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

Toons are more popular up there, you may have to make a trip to find one at a good price, i bought mine for $1,800, had a 2004 50hp Johnson. the motor is worth more than the complete package price.

 

[Edko]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

The economy in MD and surrounding area is nowhere near as bad as in other places. You are going to have to look harder here. I've seen a few interesting deals come up but they are sporadic and I am not in the market so I resist the temptation to go look.

Something you like will pop up eventually. Good luck on your hunt.

 

[22E6441]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

Well, I'm sure most people have seen my gazillion posts on my boat search. I've narrowed it down to two boats.....boat older....almost 30 years, but in good shape. These are both from marinas, and while their prices seem high at 2000 and 3000 for what they are, they are better deals in better shape than anything that meets my needs from private sellers. Sucks. I was really hoping to capitalize on others misfortune, but it's just not working out!

The other side of this is...why are there so many retards out there that just let their boats rot away in their yards? Seriously? I can't believe the things I've seen out there lately.

 

[cbavier]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

Toons are more popular up there, you may have to make a trip to find one at a good price, i bought mine for $1,800, had a 2004 50hp Johnson. the motor is worth more than the complete package price.

I remember when you bought it TD. I really was jealous. I was looking for a toon even before you bought yours.

 

[Gryphon]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

Here in Canada the used boat market is rather interesting. Most of the used boat market for boats bought new in 2000-2006 were bought when the Canadian dollar was less than the US dollar by 35-60%. Now with the new 2008's still left that were bought by dealers when the CAD was 7% more than the USD, people are asking more for their used boat than the same model new costs, lol. Try explaining that to them.

 

[BWR1953]

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Re: RANT: WTF is going on with used boat prices?

Sorry,

And really I am sorry. I am just so PO'd at MYSELF for passing on that not-quite-perfect boat last fall, expecting lower prices now, thinking there'd be a flood of boats on the market. I guess I'm just as greedy as everybody else.

There is no such thing as a perfect boat. And prices are what they are, and should be. I am SO PO'd at myself for missing the buying season, and those couple of boats that I now realize were really nice. And are gone.

(I was so dang picky over the exact model the Merc 150 OB was, by the time I figured it out, the 21' Deckboat was gone - idiot)

I wish there was a "RANT DELETE" button. I feel like a double idiot. Missing the fall sales, and whining about it now.

I was hoping for commiseration, but you all are right. I'm just whining.
Is there a "whine - delete" button?

I really could use one,
Jim

Glad you turned the whine off. That's a good start. One thing to consider are day trips to areas farther away. And as has been said, MD isn't nearly so hard hit as other areas. Further, with an 8% national unemployment rate, that means that 92% of the general population has a job and the vast majority of those are still making payments on time.

You might consider checking southern VA and northern NC. Only a few hours drive for you and the economies may be worse there. You could line up several boat visits and just make a long day trip or even an overnight weekend thing. Be creative.

Good luck and keep us posted!

-BWR

 

[5150abf]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

I am in Elkhart county Indiana, Goshen/Elkhart area, which has the highest unemployment in the country, it is so bad President Obama actually came to a local high school a couple weeks ago to announce his stimulus plan.

Lots of cheap boats around here and houses and anything else you can think of, pretty sad, our population of illegals has dropped dramaticly though.

I bought mine a couple years ago but it was quite a search as I had a tight budget and as you said everyone had a gold plated boat, or they thought, took awhile but I found one in my range that worked out really well, keep looking ti will come.

 

[rrhodes]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

The best deals I have seen lately have been local dealers accepting low ball offers on old inventory. My dealer Only has a handful of boats on hand and is less likely to deal but I pass another dealership that has 100+ boats that are not moving.

 

[CAVU V]

Re: RANT: ??? is going on with used boat prices?

Some times you have to look for boats some distance from the homestead. I bought my last bought when I lived in VA, had to drive to NH to get it but saved around $30,000.

Dale