teach a guy how to buy
#11
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Location: Bucyrus, Ohio
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Thats the way I am. I buy cars all the time and pay attention to what others have sold for. Those books are worthless in my opinion, usually not even in the ballpark.
#13
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NADA then depreciates the boats each year by a pre-determined percentage...they do not and could not possibly research the selling cost of boats based on what a new owner reports as the sales cost...it wouldn't be possible.
The only thing that NADA is good for is when you're trying to get financing...and I am not actually saying it's good...it's just a baseline for banks to consider when lending money on used boats.
A boat is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. One thing I've learned about used boats....ALL owners think their boats are worth more than they can actually get for them (myself included). It's normal to think that...but most of the time that inflated price in their head is because of emotions or that they think they maintained their boats so well or that they put big much money in extras into it...it's like a house...some improvements will give you a decent return on your investment...but never 100% (unless you're able to buy right) and on the other hand, some improvements don't give you a return at all. Evaluate every dollar you put into your boat if you're thinking return on your investment.
The best thing to do and it's been mentioned here is compare the pricing that's in the market for the boat you like...look the boat over well and make an offer you feel comfortable with. Having an older boat surveyed is worthwhile only if the surveyor knows what they're doing...I think I would know more about surveying a boat than most surveyors. I've hired two surveyors in my life...one for a 36' Chris Craft Roamer...steel hull. I told him my only concern was the hull...everything else was a moot point as I was going to perform a complete restoration. He failed miserably and there was no recourse for me...$650 down the drain. He had no clue what he was doing...the boat was delivered from NY to my with a hole in the hull and major rust issues. I had the boat cut in two and sold it for scrap after pulling some of the valuable parts off of it...a $20,000+ loss....live and learn.
The second survey was for a 48' Chris Craft Roamer...I bought it a month or two after the first Roamer...I shopped hard for a good surveyor and had much better luck...the guy actually knew what he was talking about and did a great job. I didn't know anything about these old steel hull boats (fiberglass was my thing)...but it's just to show you not all surveyors are created equal.
Good luck on your search and I guess I would tell you to take your time as there are some great values out there right now, this market is killing boat sales...new and used.
#14
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thats what i was thinking....look around and find comparable boats then make an offer..even a lowball is a start...worst they could say is no. Never know, maybe the seller is VERY anxious to get out from under the payments (if there are any), upkeep, fuel, etc etc
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#19
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Location: Auburn, Michigan
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http://www.buc.com/
This is the book our marina sales department uses. They only focus on boats and give a good fair number to most boats. Good luck!!
This is the book our marina sales department uses. They only focus on boats and give a good fair number to most boats. Good luck!!