2011 boat show prices. What to offer?

[Cfollow]

What is reasonable to expect this boat show season in terms of a discount off of the list price? 10%, 12.5%, 15% 20%?

[Larson15]

It all depends on different factors. There is no set standard.

[Cfollow]

Factors like what? I am looking at a Tuffy without any added electronics. Does this clarify things?

[JohnMickish]

Factors like cash in hand or finance, taking one off the lot or having to order one. 1 dealer in the area or 6 dealers to work the price against. These things all factor in. A large dealer with models on the floor will probably offer a better cash price than a small dealer that has to order one and if you finance it.

[Cfollow]

I guess I have heard the phrase "Don't be afraid to insult a seller with YOUR money" and that is what I am going to go with. I just can't imagine they are in any spot to defy the laws of supply and demand. The demand right now has to be at an all time low and so should new boat prices. The beauty of the situation is I have a perfectly functional boat and simply don't NEED a new boat I would only LIKE to get one.

[gregg52]

Ya take your time and make em squirm

HAGEL HAGEL

like you said its ALOT of YOUR money

nothing worse than making a fair offer and them jumping on it

and then darn i bet coulda went down another grand

its kinda fun i think

i went to all the boat shows played them against each

they are all the best you know..lol

you have a boat now so you should know what you are lookin for

dont let any body change your mind on that

its ALOT of money dont be 2nd guessing after the deal

[Pat K]

30 years ago you could get a better price from dealers on cars or boats with cash. For the last 20 years even if you have the cash you can get a better price by financing through whatever program the dealer offers.

If you have the cash, make sure there is no penalty for early repayment then pay it off after 1 month. The dealers get kick backs from their finance partners plus they know it is easier to upgrade someone looking at a monthly payment rather than total cost so they are more willing to deal.

In my experience I can save $500 to $1000 on the purchase of a new truck or boat by financing and paying off right away.

[lots of luck]

Not sure how much Tuffy would be willing to negotiate. They seem like a niche boat company and probably build most of their boats to fill orders, unlike Tracker. But maybe a mom and pop company is more willing to budge on pricing, depending on their economic climate. Let us know how it goes, be interesting to hear some follow up on your negotiations.

[muddpuppy]

I plan on being there... I have no plans of buying now but I would like to get some practice and see what I can get. I think when I buy it will be a year or 2 old boat lightly used at a fraction of the new cost+setup. But I have found you can sometimes find a 1-2 year hold over at really good prices. I like to go on the last day just to get deals on apparel.

[gregg52]

ya non current new is a good way to go i think

cuz thats what i did mine cost me 37k but new it was around 50

and now it close to 60k rigged the way mine is

thats the good thing about boats they hold their value much much longer than vehicles

[delcecchi]

Ya take your time and make em squirm

HAGEL HAGEL

like you said its ALOT of YOUR money

nothing worse than making a fair offer and them jumping on it

and then darn i bet coulda went down another grand

its kinda fun i think

i went to all the boat shows played them against each

they are all the best you know..lol

you have a boat now so you should know what you are lookin for

dont let any body change your mind on that

its ALOT of money dont be 2nd guessing after the deal

No wonder you got a good price with a Senator from Nebraska helping you.

[gregg52]

whatever it takes !!

[Raider4ever]

Remember, in Minnesota you don't pay taxes on the purchase of a used boat from a private party. You only pay taxes on the trailer. Look around the various classifieds (including FM's), then remember you can increase your budget by approximately 6-6.5% because of this. There are a lot of 1-2 yr old boats out there.

[PerchJerker]

even if you have the cash you can get a better price by financing through whatever program the dealer offers.

If you have the cash, make sure there is no penalty for early repayment then pay it off after 1 month. The dealers get kick backs from their finance partners plus they know it is easier to upgrade someone looking at a monthly payment rather than total cost so they are more willing to deal.

This is 100% correct in my opinion. It's not the dealer who is financing your purchase or taking the risk if you don't pay. It really makes no difference to the dealer whether you pay cash or credit ...... except that the their finance partner pays the dealers for loans they create. So you dealer makes more money if you finance your boat. And they often give you a better rate if you go for a long loan period (ie. we have a special rate on our 12 year loan). It can be a good negotiating point for you --- and like he said, the sooner you can pay it off the better and make sure there is no early payment penalty.

[Down Deep]

I don't get the recommendation about finance vs cash. I can read what you guys are recommending, but it doesn't compute for me. Unless you are receiving a super low rate like 1 or 2 percent and a big incentive in gear or upgrades that is only available if you finance I don't see how you can benefit. Those deals may be around, but I've never seen one. That logic assumes that I can't get the same deal walking in with cash and I think that logic is more than likely fuzzy math. IMO smart shoppers negotiate price then work on financing.

When I shop for a boat I usually know what I want to buy. However, I stay openminded to non-currents or similar models that the dealer may have on hand. Then I shop several dealerships and compare prices. There is usually a spread of 10 to 15 percent. Then I work on the lowest quote and attempt to get a lower price or more stuff. Stuff is usually easier to get. I've bought 7 new boats and have financed 5 of them and have always found a better finance deal at my bank or credit union.

I've bought several of my boats at boat shows. There is usually dealer incentives on the boat and include cash, extended engine warranties, covers, trailer upgrades, seats, trolling motors, etc.

[PerchJerker]

We're talking about the purchase price of the boat, not what you pay over the life of the loan. So the low interest rate you mention doesn't come into play. The key is that if paying cash for the boat is an option for you, you might be able to get a better purchase price on the boat by financing it through the dealer's lending partner --- but like we both stressed, you need to make sure you can pay off the loan immediately with no prepayment penalties, otherwise you will end up paying more over the life of the loan than you would with a cash deal.

You need to realize that lenders pay dealers to create loans for them. Sometimes dealers will pass some of this back to the customer in savings, and I have seen several examples where the purchase price of the boat is better if you go with dealer financing. It will be more expensive over the long haul if you finance instead of pay cash, but if you can pay off early with no penalites you can sometimes buy the boat cheaper by financing it.

You also talk about getting a better finance deal on your own than through your dealer --- again, you are talking about payments over the life of the loan, not about the purchase price of the boat. With financing you should look at your total payments over the life of the loan -- dealer financing will often have lower rates on longer term loans, to try to get you to take it because of the lower monthly payment -- and that will be more expensive in the long run.

Hope that makes sense. It's not fuzzy math, you just need to be sure you're not comparing purchase price to total payments if financed.

[JohnMickish]

IF your going to finance, work out your best price, then talk financing. With fewer and fewer banks working with dealers the incentives (read kickbacks) are not there like they used to be. I don't remember the name of the largest boat financing company but they got out of the boat biz a year or two ago, so that pretty much leaves your local banks nowadays.

Back to the original question, it also depends greatly on the boat you are getting. If you are buying a lightly optioned entry level boat there will be less wiggle room than a heavily loaded tournament boat. Volume = cost passed on to you. A dealer that sells 100 250HP motors is going to get a much better price on the motor than a dealer that orders 1 250HP motor a year.

What it comes down to is that there are to many variables to say that you can expect a standard "X" percent off. Don't be afraid to play dealers against each other and don't be afraid to drive to get the boat you want, and you will get better pricing with a phone call than you will with an email. Also, there are several dealers that are avoiding the boat shows so I'm not sure if that helps or will hurt your search.