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Used boat market this year


Ufda
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I'm trying to buy a boat this spring, ideally $20-30k. I was hoping to get a mid to late 2000s model. So far, I've seen a few boats in the 1999-2001 range. They mostly seem overpriced for that age ($25k with 1000 hours for a 21 year Response). There've been a few priced more reasonably.

 

My question: it's still early in the buying season here (PNW, still getting below freezing occasionally at night). Do you guys think something closer to what I'm looking for will come on the market, or is this just a really tough year to buy a boat, and I should jump on something that isn't ideal (price, age, engine hours)?

 

I'm watching ski-it-again, onlyinboards, boattrader, and local craigslist. Anywhere else I should be looking? I'm limiting my search radius to about 1000 miles, so I could drive there and back in 2 (long) days.

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Be patient. I'm sure the 2000-2010 market will come down to reality when they are not selling and they want to move onto their next boat. Three years ago I sold my mint 2009 SN196 in the high 20s, because that is what it was going for then.
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This might be the best sellers market in the history of ever for boats. New and used inventory is at an all time low and demand is high. If you don't luck into some deal, assume you are going to pay through the nose if you want a boat now. And I don't see that changing this year as I know for a fact dealers are taking orders for new boats along different segments that will not arrive until next winter.
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I think this summer is likely to stay pretty brutal throughout the whole summer. I think this summer will be peak sellers market, but should chill out after that as folks are finally allowed to spend their money on travel again. My prediction is a heck of a buyers market about 2-3 years out.

 

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Related question: for a run-of-the-mill used Malibu, Mastercraft, Natique, that isn't obviously abused, how many hours would you guess the engine is good for? I previously had a '94 that we had roughly 2000 hours on before it started burning some oil. Is 2000 a good rough estimate for the lifespan of one of these engines before it needs a rebuild/replace?

 

I'm trying to evaluate how much life I can get out of boats with higher hours.

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Good luck finding a deal right now. Unless the seller hasn’t done his homework except to pay more than normal. It’s Covid related people are spending the money they would otherwise spent on trips to Europe in Hawaii on their homes and on toys he can use locally
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To have the buying power of a dollar from 1913 takes 26 dollars in today's money. They can keep printing it but they can't make it have value. Bitcoin isn't mid 50s for no reason. Cash is trash. Price of everything is going up fast and faster.
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@ktm300 1913 average income was 750$x 26 is 19500/yr. That same figure is up to around 48K now. Problem these days is people want to have more things. People in 1913 spent most of their income on basic living expenses. We expect to do so much more.
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Interesting your geo is proving a challenge. I bought my '01 Response out of the PNW 2.5 years ago and could probably sell it for 3-4 grand more than I paid for it now. I do expect this to be another hot year for boats, though the older, but still good, DDs don't fetch quite what the V drives do in terms of excessive prices.
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After 5 years of owning the boat that you spent $5000 more than you thought you should have, you won't care one bit. If you miss a month or more of ski time waiting for the perfect steal, what did it cost you? That's a lot of missed ski time.
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Looks like your location limit is what is getting you. There are 10+ boats on SIA that fit your requirements, but they are all further away than 1,000 miles.

 

A hotel room is cheap if you're saving thousands on a boat, but I also understand time is money and spending it driving can be difficult for some.

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Yeah, time is a major constraint right now, and I know that makes the search harder, but that’s reality for me.

 

Thanks everyone for comments and information. I think at this point my strategy will probably be to find a boat that’s older than I want, closer to the lower end of my budget. Early 2000s, maybe $20k. It seems like the inflated price for an older boat is inflated by fewer dollars than a more expensive boat.

 

I think I’ll feel better spending that much and not getting as much boat as I want, rather than spending more than I want to spend.

 

In a few years, when the market cools off, I’ll maybe look into upgrading.

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There's another 2001 response lx locally I'm looking at. 1100 hours, $20k. It has some sun damage to upholstery, and some minor stuff falling apart (dashboard trim cracked, fusebox falling down). But engine seems to be in good shape, has PP. The interior was in worse shape than I expected from the pictures, but maybe I should just do it. No driving involved.

 

Also inquired about a 99 ski nautique, same hours and price, looks like it's in amazing condition, 4 hours away. But the seller says it won't be dewinterized until "some time in the next month" so I can't test drive it yet. Thanks to @sgregg for the tip on this one.

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Buy that 'Bu Response Lx--decent price in todays market, 650 hrs, excellent shape.

 

As for hours...shoot we got an abused 1983 MC for our collegiate team with 2000 hrs--needed a tune up but then ran great. Don't be too scared of hours if you intend to keep it a long time so you don't worry about all the other folks worried about buying your boat with high hours.

 

As for out of your geography...if s'one can check it out for you locally ship it. I've shipped 2 higher end cars now across the country with u-ship--from Utah to MN is $800 to $1200 depending on the market/day/timing. Yes that's added cost but if it gets you exactly what you want in the condition you expect...

 

Obviously it's easier if it's local to you, but it limits what you can buy.

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@Ufda, a 2007 - 2009 Zero Off SN196, MC197, Bu is cetainly in your wheelhouse for under $30K. Don't let hours worry you too much. A 1000 hrs is like 100,000 hrs on a car. That's nothing these days. All 3 are great ski tractors with good wakes to train with for many years of enjoyment. Keep looking, something good will show up this spring.
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I have seen this boat several times and you can usually tell if its a scam by the description they use.Just love these scammers and would love to meet these idiots.This boat mkt is really overpriced just like trains planes and automobiles.EVERYTHING IS WAY OVERPRICED DUE TO THIS PANDEMIC.I have been buying and selling these boats for several yrs now and its crazy what people are getting for them.The boats I have bought in the past are anywhere between $5000 to $10,000 more today then what I paid in the past.Its a very strong mkt for sellers just like lake homes motor vehicles or anything in the leisure mkt. It looks like I will skiing behind the 08 MC PS 197........
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I think the boat @Mateo_Vargas posted that was in corpuschristi,TX is a scam.I have seen that boat several times in different ads and the way they describe the boat usually tells you that it is a scam.Really don't like these scammers lalways get several that reply to my ads.
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I "overpaid" a few grand for the '94 Prostar I recently bought, but it's also the nicest example in existence. In the grand scheme, I don't really care. I wouldn't bank on the used market crashing down anytime soon. Ha, I've been laughing at used 196 prices for a decade now.
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In fact,i'm in love with this 2015 MC Barney edition and this is IMO one of the 2 best deal right now on SIA. 590 hrs,BOTH ski racks,passenger side ballast,heated seats and heater,pull up cleats.No front or rear seatings (like i care).

Nice trailer too.

42k,negotiable.

Make it 40k.

Best deal available right now.

Way better deal then those 30k plus 08-09 196.

Much more boat for your money...and it's purple! :)

 

https://www.ski-it-again.com/php/skiitagain.php?endless=summer&topic=Search&category=Boat_3Event&postid=57972

My ski finish in 16.95 but my ass is out of tolerance!

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