Mine was the brouchure boat for 2001... it was used at the dealer meetings etc ...

TTT

I guess another way of looking at this is how it measures the "anxious factor"....:D The 25-30% are either patient folks or flat out lucky with their timing...

I'll probably piss all the dealers and brokers off here but here is an anology that I have always stuck to. On a neww boat there is generally 25-30 % markup to get MSRP. I used to price all my/our new boats 7-10 % off that number leaving 18-20 % mark up.

Now here is the tricky part it depends what kind of dealership you are running if it is a large one the overhead is more and a smaller one is less so there comes a time that a certain percentage of mark up is your break even point....AT DSM this percentage was approx 13%......Now I believe everyone is entitled to make a profit on what they sell so you kind of use these guidelines when you deal. Cash is always King so you will get a better deal when dealing with it......trades pretyy much keeps you in a higher percentage bracket when it comes to haggling. Of course there's alot of other factors that play roles also such as non current inventory, upside down financing on your trade, and the dreaded my trade is pristine, yeah right, it's pristine if you have it full of hookers topless and in g-strings with bailing buckets to keep it floating as you dock at your favorite watering hole otherwise you couldn't finance theamount of a cheese on a Big Mac or in Too Olds case a Whopper to buy this thing let alone expect a good trade value for it.

I hope this may give a little insight into boat buying 101. Dont be afraid to throw out a number all we can and usually do say is no, or in my case "You bumped your head, bro"

Have fun while I take my licks from all the dealers across this vast nation for this stuff.

Sean

Thanks Sean for risking life and limb to divulge the trade secrets...:cool:
How does it change if one "orders" a rig to be built vice off the lot with the only dealer involvement being financing paperwork, mailing in the order itself, and prep at delivery?...

The bigger the boat the better the deal, Reckless your a Sunsation guy what is the MSRP difference in the single 28 and a single 32? Alot more than three feet of fiberglass. If the opt and engine are the same you'll work a better deal on the 32. A very well known builder once told me there was very little real cost difference in his two models rigged the same way same power but he got an extra 50k for 5' so he try to discourage the smaller boat sales(custom builder).
This is a great thread for someone looking to buy, the problem is there are alot of OSOers looking to sell that will never tell what they paid.
I also think the custom builders are more staight shooters and if you talk to them they will give you a more realistic figure.

Hugh

Don't forget that even if you order a boat and pay little over cost for it...you've done the dealer a big favor, in these times especially, by helping them to meet their (annual) commitment in $$$ to the manufacturer. Meeting this commitment usually means a kick in the form of additional discounts from the manufacturer for the following model year or additional discounts on in stock units once that $ level is met. ;) Of course this differs from one builder to another...but most all require an annual $$ commitment up front to determine builder to dealer discount level. So it works both ways...big showroom guy sells more units, therefore has a bigger margin, small guy may have little overhead to consider...but because of his smaller commitment, has less margin. Oh yea..dealer prep? You mean a $5.50 hr guy pulling off the shrinkwrap? :D

Hey taking off shrinkwrap is key to dialing in a boat!

Hmmmm. All good insight. I'm surprised there's only 27 votes on here? There's got to be more than just 27 folks who bought new...

Rippem that's what i always thought too. Sell a bunch to make the numbers for the end of year rebate. Car dealerships face the same thing. If they're sitting on the lot, the dealer is paying on the note and interest starts to accrue which i would think would drive the cost up a tad to make up for it unless it's needed badly to go away and cut losses. But siimply using the dealer to work a little paperwork and maybe financing should keep costs down. As far as shipping, I'm the type that would want to pick it up from the factory myself....

That certainly takes alot of the expense out of it for a dealer. This is an area that is like anything goes as long as the boss clears it. But I have turned away 15k over actual cost on a 600k boat and turned around and did the same deal with someone else for 10k over cost but with alot of perks thrown in for myself and the dealerships use.

I think rippem made a reference to some charges like rigging and transportation.....there may be a nominal charge if any to the dealer who then turns them into what is called a pack.....which becomes a bargaining tool for a lot of different reasons such as financing or a give and take session during the "haggling" with the potential customer who may need just that little nudge to tip our way. I can get into more detail if someone wishes to PM/email me with the pertinant questions.:cool: :cool: :cool:

Troutly also brought up VERY valid points as to the flooring expense along with all the other expenses incurred in keeping one of these baby's looking showroom while it is in stock.