Thanks for the replies!

Heading out this Sunday to look at one.

My $.02, baja is great but as any boat they have their issues - moisture being the one that sticks out for me. Good luck with your purchase and go in to it keep your eyes wide open. There are PLENTY of boats out there in your budget range.

I've owned 3. Loved them all.

I loved your/my baja too!

just outgrew it too fast.

Like others have said, check for moisture issues in stringers/transom, but they are a good looking solid boat at a good price.

What are some other reliable manufactures to to check out? Formula?

I'm on our third Baja. For a 36 ft go fast, it has a ton of room. Next one will be a forty.

The only people that bash them are the "superior" ones that have never owned one. Are they the best boats in the world? No. Do they cost a quarter of a million bucks plus? No.

But I agree with you Jadento, I was sure this would become a bashing thread also. What a pleasant surprise.

As you can tell by my name, I LIKE BAJA's. We have had a "Blast", "Hammer" 25OL, 33OL and last one we had was the 40OL. All had their place, all were stepping stones for the next. In every case it was well priced in it's level. And performed along with those that were much higher priced. As the old saying went: Bang for the buck!

But what is and has always been the real trademark of the Baja brand was the owners themselves. In it's hayday (before the most recent down turn) there was numerous events put on by Baja groups, and the company themselves had Poker Run boats and traveling displays that attended these events. It gave it a complete cross section of boaters that enjoyed the look, performance and being part of this group that was based on the brand. This all made for a loyal following.

You will read about some peoples opinions of certain years. For the most part, that is an opinion based on rumor more than fact. The boats that had the issues were recalled at that time and fixed. But to be clear in the overall scope of production, this was a VERY small number that had issues. Personally, knowing some of the people that had those issues, it may.... Not have been completely the boats fault. Just saying... There was also changes that Baja made during production (Adhesives) that caused the majority of the returns. As soon as it was discovered, it was changed and the problems from there forward were resolved.

Like ANY boat, there are those that were taken care of and those that were thrashed. No matter what you are looking to buy, before you pay in full, have it surveyed so you know what you are getting. This is far any and all boats, not just Baja's!!!!

Had a '00 25 with 502 Outlaw for 4 years, BN 2008 30 Outlaw with pair of HOs for 4 years. Had a blast, affordable performance. My only ***** is when I built the 30 I didn't know enough to raise the X-dim and paid for it in top speed. That's why I moved on...for 850 hp I had all I could do to wring 73 out of it. No complaints otherwise.

No manufacturer is exempt from moister. You have to really watch the people who work on them and make sure when hardware is removed it gets resealed.
When I redid my 1999 36 outlaw this past year I took everything off the transom and not a spec of rot ( I was shocked ). The boats also have a good resale for money spent compared to others.
Good luck