Vintage used boat pricing question
 

I'm looking at a very nice older Donzi 22 Classic and I'm having some difficulty getting my arms around the price.

Here's the details:

1987 Donzi 22 2 Plus 3 (Classic)
2001 Stripped and repainted with Awlgrip (4 coats of clear above the water line on top of the base coat).
2001 Structure evaluated and all stringers, gas tank and transom in very good condition.
2001 New Bravo 1 upgrade
2006 New upholstery
2006 Latham partial hydraulic steering
2006 CMI Elbow Top exhaust
2006 New Gaffrig gauges and dash
2007 Professionally rebuilt Merc Racing 425 (454 w/4 bolt mains and rectangular heads) .060 over with new rods, valves, cam, Dominator carb, etc. I've asked for the build sheet.
2007 Upgraded to full Latham steering
2001 South Florida Aluminum tandem axle trailer with new disk brakes, radial tires and aluminum rims.

He's asking $26,900 but considering it's still a 21 year old boat that seems a bit rich. I know older Donzi Classics have values all over the map so I'm putting this out for the collective masses to review.

I'm thinking it's more of a low $20's boat but it does have some pretty decent hardware installed and appears to be in great condition with less than 10 hours on the motor.

Here's some pictures.

Hard to see from your images as they are very small. I also think he is a little on the high side but if the boat is super clean then that has a good value also. It is VERY hard to find clean ones. What are "average" ones going for?

I tried to scale up the images but that's as big as they showed up.

Average is tough. Well maintained original '80's vintage 22's with refreshed power on Alpha drives are going for mid to high teens. On the flip side some totally stock late '90's boats have moved for a little over $20K. Then there are some mid '90's bristol examples that have sold for $25K or more. Prices are all over the map.

I looked at a rough '87 that would need close to $20,000 in work to get to this boat's quality and equipment and it was around $11,000.

New 22's with 496HO power are about $65,000 + options.

for you Donzi guys. Think this was a splash?http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1984-...QQcmdZViewItem

a 22 classic of that vintage is a 12-20k dollar boat,depending on condition shopping can find a clean boat with the right power drive combo i personally would not want a sbc alpha 22 classic deals on a bbf/king cobra mid 90's boats can be had for under 20k and are very reliable packages or early bravo boats can be found as well
are you set on a 22 classic , the 20 minx might be an alternative

hey dude....theres no shortage of guys that think their boat is worth a million dollers........show up with what you think its worth in cash and see if he takes it......lots of times after 5 or 10 guys coming around kicking tires and wasting his time the first guy who shows up with actual money gets it........:cool-smiley-011:

Thanks guys.

This ain't my first rodeo so I know the cash in hand thing. Just looking to see what the prevailing thoughts are.

I looked at the Minx and it doesn't do as much for me as the 22. Perhaps it's an emotional thing but the 22 just LOOKS right with the low, sloped sides and narrow 7' beam.

I'm not looking for the fastest ride, I'm looking for something that is appealing to my eyes, can run well and will stand the test of time AND is in my toy budget which is $25K or under.

Is this Tom's boat? Guy lives in Ormond by the Sea? If so he is my neighbor (2nd Home for me) and I have seen the boat. Never been on it but seen it in person a few times and I know he dumped a ton of money into it.

Do not get emotional about anything that does not have a heart!
Its been said many times that a boat is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
I would say 17k for the boat as an outsider watching the market.
I'm not a pro just an enthusiast that follows the game.
If its worth 26k to you then by all means buy it and enjoy it.
Jim

No, it's not in Ormond by the Sea but I'm in Ormond Beach :)

The boat is in Pensacola.

It seems that "dumping a lot of money into it" and boats always end up in the same sentence....... It also seems that older Donzi owners, especially Classic Donzi owners have no problem dumping thousands into these boats. There are a lot of boats out there that people like but older Donzi owners seem to have a particular passion (sickness).

mjw I Really Like The Lines On The Classic Donzis - Really Good Looking Boats - The 22 Classic Is What I like The Best - About Bought One But It Sold Out From Under Me - I Agree With JnT - If Its What You Want And The Price Is Right For You - Buy It !!

That's the plan. I'm awaiting a call back from the owner with his "firm" price and if it's in my comfort zone then I'll do the deal. Of course contingent on inspection and sea trial. I fully expect it to be within my range considering what I originally offered.

I'll probably pay a bit more than the prevailing average price but that's the price of getting a boat rigged the way I want it.

It's the rare case of the seller finding that one person who is willing pay extra for the custom rigging. Usually the seller can kiss that money good buy.

Another thing playing against me is the seller is actually on the fence about selling all together. I get the sense this isn't a "must sell" situation.

Oh well, sometimes you have to pay to play :(

just tell him , look , this is what i have ($$$) to purchase the boat , can we make this happen or not. if the answer is no ,then move on ...:)

that will tell you whether he is on the fence or not..

Then go home and wait for the phone to ring:party-smiley-004:

Well I will tell you when I got my 18 the guy was asking a little to much money for it. I offered him 1/3 of what he was asking. We could not agree on a price but I told him that if he changed his mind it was sold at price X. He called a week later and I drove over and picked it up. :D

You never know with people. Like everyone has said offer him what you will be happy paying. If he says NO then tell him that if he changed his mind to call you.

Jon

It is hard to tell from the small images, although it looks like a nice ride.. If all the work that was done, was done right then the guy should have more into the boat then he is asking.. That said it doesnt mean the boat will necessarily bring that kind of money back all of the time.. As far as what it is really worth is up to you. You may want to take into consideration the ammount of time on the engine, drive & hull, As well as the interior & overall condition.. Then compare it to what a new one would be similarly equipped as well as the value of a used one that is stock for that year.. If you look at all of these things as a whole and everything is on the up & up, then his asking doesnt sound bad.. Just make an offer based onn all of the good & bad points that you are comfy with & see what happens... Good luck in your quest.. :) Jamie / Lakeside


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the virus as we call comes in many forms but the same basic thing is there, the people that have it have had it for a long time and they remember the first time they heard and saw a classic and it was not a 22 it was a hornet or a 16 or 18 as the 22 is a relative newbie to the classic line added in 1978 in it's first form the criterion then the 2+3 sometime after.
the 16 and 18 classics designed by Wynn and Walters and produced by Don Aronow really were the start of high performance boating for the masses.
Some infected with the virus go for styling, some go for the history, some just for the speed.

So you have to ask yourself what you want, what you want to pay and what you are capable of doing yourself.

so a person who wants an old original boat for the history collectible aspect would not want a painted boat or heavily modified boat , but might pay more foran older original faded gel cote boat

someone talented in paint and glass might take a hammered boat and bring it back to life. and pay peanuts for the boat and put in a fortune of their time and talent

someone who is a real motor head might take a boat and make it a real screamer. might have a ton of money into the motor but has built a boat that no one but him wants or can handle

I started with the virus as a young boy and said someday I would have donzi classic, i am not a glass guy or a motor head so i choose a clean turn key boat that i paid more for than the average boat but it didn't need anything

but the virus spread, i have done things to the boat that if you told me 10 years ago I would say yeah right put down the crack pipe
just remember once bitten you can never have enough HP,speed,bling,or donzi stuff ;)

this virus as other strains too seems from hanging with the Cigarette guys at their 20 foot run they have been bitten too

the older Aronow boats seem to hold their value well with decent care. an older cig ,magnum, or donzi,formula from back in the day still have fans that want them
plus they were built pretty well all my 40 year old classic has ever needed was a new upper on the 35 year old drive , a motor freshening in 2000 and a gas tank in 2003.
good luck on the search

Mattyboy
Lake George Donzi Classic club

This is my brother's boat.

The carb is actually a Demon, I screwed that up on the for sale post over on Donzi.net

The boat is done right, it also has a kick azz marine stereo with powered sub and bose speakers.

The interior is candy striped, I know I've posted pictures of it here before.

I took it out with him on the shake out ride with the new engine. Runs great.

Well said Matty.. I think ther are more than boaters that do this too.. Look at some of the truck guys or car guys.. Some are purists & some like it all custom.. Everyone is different & thats what makes these sports cool.. :) :) Jamie

Yep, I talked to him at length last night and everything seems to be done right and he gave me the history of the boat.

Now all he has to do is call me back, I don't think I insulted him with my offer since he didn't hang up on me :) so now it's just a waiting game.

If it wasn't such a long drive (6 hours) I would have already been over to take a look. With the travel time involved I want to be sure it's right and we are agreed on a price so I only have to make one trip.

I'm not into low balling someone then waiting for a return phone call, that's not my style. I try to treat them as I would want to be treated and hope to arrive at a price both of us are comfortable with.

I hear you have a trip planned:D

Yes, word travels fast :)

Thanks for hooking me up with your brother.

No problem, although both he and I will miss that boat. Assuming everything goes well please keep us in mind when time comes to sell. If I was financially in a better situation I wouldn't have thought twice about buying it. (new baby means no new boat!!)

That boat is what sparked it for me... I have known it since it was brand new and have some of the best times of my life aboard it with my brother.