Placing offer on a Used boat
 

What would you suggest is a good starting point to offer based on the asking price? in a percentage figure.

That's a tough question. Sometimes people place an ad with a real good price in an effort to get people to call. Other times, people place ads with higher pricetags knowing that they will be talked down. I think a good rule of thumb is you should get 10-20% off the price. When I was selling my Scarab(asking price of $16K), I got a bunch of ridiculous offers in the 9-10K range. I basically told those people to go eff themselves. Then one guy who was serious about the boat offered $14.5K and I said "take it home."

I wouldn't think there is an average starting point. You have to do your homework, know what an average retail price is and compare to what it is worth to you.

Good luck

I'm most open to offers that come with an explanation of why the prospective buyer feels that it's a fair price. Wanting to pay less isn't a justification I'm interested in when I'm on the selling side so I have no expectation that a nother individual values that position either.

When I make an offer on something, I try to do my research ahead of time and I have no problem offering that research to the seller when I'm making an offer. I find that it makes the negotiation process more friendly and the seller is often more amenable to seeing my position.

offer what you are comfortable with paying, its your money buying. Now from the selles point all I have to do is say no or your a little shy and counter. Regardless of the price. I have pissed some people off and I have gotten some outstaanding deals from it but if your too cheap get ready for a F U as a responce or don't call again, but in a day or two up your offer a little.

I don't think there is any good rule for that. Imagine you were selling a $60K boat. Would you take $6000 to $12,000 (10% to 20%) off the asking price? I don't think so.

Do your homework. Compare prices. NADA is a joke! Don't believe that.

In the end, get a good survey and buy yourself a great boat!

Good luck! :cool:

Rob.......would this be you making the offer ? Please do tell................................and Happy New Year to you and your family.................

Right On! You just never know.
Back in 1994, I was looking at an '89 Fountain 10M ICBM. I knew the boat well as a buddy owned it a couple years before.
The seller had it listed at 59k on a nice Myco trailer, this was a fair price at the time so it got my attention enough to look at it on a VERY cold day in January. The boat was in a barn colder than a meat locker, dead batteries etc. It was all there but had the signs of used and put away wet. Not as clean as I like in a boat. After looking it over, the anxious seller asked me if I was a serious buyer and was prepared to buy today...
I told him flat out I'd have to steal it from him to buy today... He said make me an offer, I said 20 grand....he said "FAAAK YOOO!!!!!....walked away and fired back 25 grand and it's yours! I wrote a check and towed it home in the snow.

In the end, it was a good thing we got it so cheap. The first time out I blew a motor... installed a new one...next ride blew the other side....next ride blew a tranny....next ride blew a drive... So after all the repairs, I was into it for close to the asking price!

Kurt

I did the take 14.5k when asking 16k trick before.

But what I have noticed about online ads, you will always get a rash of calls from all over the country from people who just want to see if you are desperate and if they can lowball you big time.

I actually had a dude offer me 8k on a 16k asking price, just to see if he could get it. I am sure that if he called everybody in the US he could find the desperate one. He pretty much admitted that it was what he was doing. I told him that I wasn't that desperate, he said that "somebody is" and he hung up.

There's some fantastic deals out there right now. Two weeks ago I picked up a mint 22 Pachanga, 454, nice trailer for a song. The guy was in trouble with his motgage and needed to make a payment. He was told to call me as I was a "boat guy"

thanks guys.
I tend to agree w/ JPD and biggus.
This aint a sellers market.
I can take an FU from some dude, who cares.
And johnny, thanks... and no its not for me. :(
Its not an HP boat. Its for a friend. He's a bit shy on offering much lower than asking, but he has no choice... he's stuck to a budget.
If ya'll care, i'd post the link to it.
I'm always up for your 'professional' opinions. ;)

nice mark!!! lol

It was nice talking to you though:D

mark, thats some funny chit.
a 2008 30ft coblat is about 180.
i would start at 30-32.
fact that its been sitting for 2yrs means the engines will need new gaskets and other stuff. not many hrs for a 10yr boat.
volvo is a plus on this style boat, so is fresh water.
Its funny cuz most boats in our area, salt water, and in the 24-26ft range, model yr 2000 cobalts are asking 8-10k more than this one. If the pictures represent correctly, looks clean.

offer whatever you think you can get away with. in the end the seller will let you know what it will take to buy it anyway or skip all the bs and ask him up front. if its more then your willing to pay, tell him to call you if he comes down.

Another consideration is to ask the seller how he came about setting his price. If he tells you something like "that's the bank payoff", you have a place to start a reasonable, fact-based discussion about the topic.

It's going to be tough to go back to reasonable after you've pi$$ed him off with a lowball. You may be 100% correct on your price but if you insult the seller or make him feel embarrassed by pricing his boat illogically, it's tough to bring him back to a friendly, civil negotiation.

Ditto. There is no formula. BUT if your shopping around 40-50K I've been able to knock off around 10K. Hope that helps.

all the seller can say is no....you can't get it it you don't ask....

I should have known when you asked about colored coordinated fenders and whether it had a "normal potty."

mark, now that's a good plan!

now i've got another bud to talk into the concept.

btw mark, you think it looks fairly clean for an 11yr boat?

The 293/292 series was a nice riding boat, the twin 350's are nice, what little dark color gel-coat is on this one is faded, and will continue to fade, its going to need oil change, drive svc, impellars just to start, probably tune ups too. wet sand and buff since its been sitting outside.....

ABOS rates this boat pretty strong, 50,400, 43,900, and 38,700 retail, high and low wholesale with T-250hp motors, not 280 like this one. Hours are decent, as long as everything works its probably worth 33-34 tops. Most banks will loan around 35 based on book. JMO

Guys, thanks for all the responses.
Photos are what you can see. Just takes a bit o'photoshop to whiten anything up.
Boats been for sale for sometime. Well over a year.
Engines have been winterized/fogged 2yrs ago. no use since.
If this is what my bud wants, it's worth the 3hr drive to go look at it. With the time its been out there for sale, i'd say pricing is negotiable.
Boat was used for 6-7yrs at Lake George. 2nd owner boat. out of boating. This will not be financed. Private/brokered boat, not a dealer boat. I'd say that you are not far from a decent starting point mark, and could move upward towards G@G's number. I think we're close enough.
Thanks again...

I think sellers base their price on NADA and what other folks are asking for similar boats. Which tend to make asking prices high.

Follow your boat on Boat Trader, Used Boat.com etc. to see approximatly what they actually sell for. I have called sellers to ask. Wait for the boat to show up on Ebay. If it's any good it will not make the reserve. Ebay is a pretty good place to establish at least a wholesale value, but I would not list my boat there because the prices are low. My boat showed up on Ebay. I made sure I was the high bidder but was still only 60% of the asking price which did not reach the reserve. That became the floor for negotiating. I had been following 382's for a little over a year so I had a pretty good idea of what I should pay. We came to a deal which was a little more than I thought I would have to pay if I waited. But the boat was mint and loaded so I figured I would shoot myself if I last it for a few thousand.

Good luck

rjr

At least I knew they were fenders and not "bumpers".
Gotta admit, I was shocked when you said it had some sort of flushing potty.
I was just wondering if it came with the empty laundry detergent jug or if I needed the wife to save the next one so we had one for the boat. Your idea of normal for a boat and mine were a little different.

:cool-smiley-027: If they accept your first offer than you went to high ,I'd rather have a no way on my first offer than an ok,you can always go higher on the next offer ,if you offer too high the first time then you spend too much time looking for stuff to complain about to get the price lowered.:evilb: