Waiting for a Boat Show to buy?

[tuffr2]

I went to the boat shows last year to look. Now I am ready to buy. Should I wait 6 weeks for a boat show or buy now?

Seems that during a boat show they seem to slightly sweeten the deal. One thing they do is extend warranty. On smaller boats they say free trailer. I know of a boat that I want. Can I work a sweet deal now or not. Seems the Factory authorizes the 3 year to 5 year warranty extension make me think I can not.

[Fiveslide]

It wouldn't hurt to ask the dealers that will be attending the shows. I bet they already know the specials they will be offering, the big guys put a lot of planning into these shows and bring dozens of boats. They might keep that info to themselves, or not.

You're buying a brand new boat or PWC in the middle of the off-season, you have the bargaining power. They have inventory that they know could sit there for months.

What did you decide to buy?

[Bruce Beard]

Originally Posted by tuffr2

I went to the boat shows last year to look. Now I am ready to buy. Should I wait 6 weeks for a boat show or buy now?

Seems that during a boat show they seem to slightly sweeten the deal. One thing they do is extend warranty. On smaller boats they say free trailer. I know of a boat that I want. Can I work a sweet deal now or not. Seems the Factory authorizes the 3 year to 5 year warranty extension make me think I can not.

I believe that a good deal is something that is dependent upon the circumstances. Often manufacturers will incentivize dealers and this is passed on to the customer. Availability of the item in question plays into the equation as does who actually owns the stock and for how long...
Find yourself a boat owned by a dealer making interest payments that is sitting and you can often negotiate a smoking deal.
Try to purchase the latest, hottest, in-demand model of anything and you will pay more.
When you are shopping, price the additional items separately to establish value.
You may find that the warranty extension is available at different prices from other dealers. Just be sure that any warranty quote is compared to a quote by the same provider. Not all warranties are the same!
Bruce

[tuffr2]

The two dealers I talked to said they expect the factories to either extend warranty or give the dealer incentives to offer a free trailer. Since I am in Florida, for example I could use the boat/pwc today.

I am going to try to buy a Yamaha waverunner. I got a chance to look at the re-designed 2018 seadoo but did not like it as much as the Yamaha. The Seadoo engine is 3 cyl. 1.5 litre, 2 valves per cyl. super charged. It uses a lot of fuel. The Yamaha has a natual aspirated 1.8 litre 4 cyl. engine that I think is 4 valves per cyl. The Yamaha will have a range at 30 mph of over 120 miles. Was told the Seadoo does not have that kinda range.

If I had the ski now I would use it 3 days in a row, flush it after the 3rd use and wait out the cool spell.

Watching the tidal current, it would be fun just to ride in the 4 or 5 mpg current. The bigger skis are 4' wide and just over 11' long. They are difficult to sink and can run places a boat should not. I am excited to explore the inlets around this area. Matanzas, St. Augustine and Ponce.

I am thinking of offering $2000 under MSRP to see what they come back with now, or wait for the boat show.

[Classicsailboat]

Decide how much you are willing to pay, offer 10% less. They probably won’t take it but might if it sits for a few months.

[Howler]

Recently bought a sailboat, but I assume the same logic applies...

The dealer definitely knew what show discounts would be available (or not) months in advance. In this case, the manufacturer was offering a promotion for orders taken before the winter (in order to fill the factory during the slow season) but weren't offering end-of-year boat show discounts. Try to find out if something like that applies.

[Suijin]

Most often they will give you the boat show deal in the weeks leading up to the show. Why? It’s a sale now, in hand, and it frees them up to sell to others during the show.

YMMV depending on the boat and salesman. Never hurts to ask.

[tuffr2]

Update - I bought a PWC at the Jacksonville Boat Show yesterday. The deal was, added warranty years (4) and 50% off a trailer. The big thing also as I looked at boats is the discount was clearly marked on 90% of the boats. There were also factory reps there that help answer questions. This is my 5th water craft. 3 were bought at boat shows new. 1 used on the internet, 1 used from an individual. 4 boats and 1 PWC.

On a PWC I probably saved an additional $1,000 on stuff that I wanted anyway. Also the selection was huge which I know is not the case later in the year when picking is slim.

Bought a PWC because it fits in the garage and I think I can keep it clean.