Newbie question-280zt Checkmate-what's it worth
 

Hello all,
New to the forum and love it!
I am considering purchasing a 1999 Checkmate 280 zt. It has the single 502 efi engine with 380 hours and a bravo drive. The boat is in near mint condition. Captains call exhaust. He is the original owner and he has every receipt. He is asking $23,500. Is that a fair price? Nada shows the boat value lower but I find nada to be lower in general. Thanks in advance for your opinions. Don

Anything done to the motor? What are you looking to due in it? A good clean boat that size n that price range is hard to find..... Get a survey

I ! passed up on a 1999 zt 28 with a similar motor in NJ with a similar motor that did NOT pass a leakdown test and had a wobbly outdrive for $30,000 3 years ago
2 years ago I picked up a 2001 sameboat with a 496 HO on 46 hours for the same money
I am/ was a total newbie
be sure to seek professional help
or a friend's help w/ professional knowledge
before you buy,..

Hey guys
Thank you for the replies.
My plans are to enjoy the boat as is. The motor is bone stock and well maintained with receipts to prove it. The owners health is failing and he wants it to go to a good person. I am not new to boating but I am new to the go fast market as I have only owned one before (2000 Baja Hammer-21 foot) I currently own a Chris Craft Catalina, 1980 that I restored. I just miss the rumble and fun of my go fast. He has it detailed once a quarter and it is covered and lift kept. Flushed after each use. Boat seems to idle fine. Sea trial this weekend. Any thoughts on the 502. Seems like a good engine which should push this boat well. Thanks again for you input. Don

get a competent shop to do a compression and leakdown done on the engine before you buy it...

Thanks ratman, seems like very good advice.
. Don

Here the Nada http://www.nadaguides.com/Boats/1999...0038270/values
i dont know why you paying so much more for a saltwaterboat!
He trying to sell the Boat more than 2 month Ebay,Craiglist............ !!

I hear you Mirage30, that is why I posed the question. saltwater boats are the norm down here in SW Florida as freshwater boats are hard to find. Not a ton of these checkmates online to compare asking and selling prices. The ones I can find are "asking" in the $25K range. That's my question really, what is this boat worth? Its stumping me. Thanks for the insight, Don

I entered all options on this boat into the NADA guide and I can't get the average retail above $20K.

That's the Boat Mirage30. He has been trying to sell it through a broker down here (That's the guy on ebay). The boat market is soft right now in Florida and he has had it listed for two months.

I dont think the NADA value is very accurate on boats. I would say it is way low.

I agree hadleycat. According to NADA nothing I own is worth anything! :-)

So looks like you will have to buy a trailer too. mmmmm
Shop around some more winter is a great time to buy and sometimes worth a trip north of FL to get a fresh water boat. I'm not saying that boat isn't in good shape on the outside it's the internal water passages parts ran in salt that you can't see. 2014-1999= 15 years of corrosion you cant see from the outside. Even if you got into it at 15K if you had to do a motor or drive you way into it then.

I hear ya! Thank you for the advice and suggestions Velocity Vector!

mr blue,yes i am from Germany but i am very often in the us,the most of the time in cape coral.
I know the market a little bit:whistle:
why it was only 1 bid on ebay?!!!!!
Thats what i think about this-----if u like it and u have a good feeling-take it.

Good question Mirage30. This owner seems like a straight shooter to me with many receipts to back up all maintenance. I am going to sea trial the boat this weekend and have my mechanic do a compression test and leakdown test. If I feel good after those tests then I will make the decision then. The trailer is not important as I am going to keep it at a marina where they forklift it in and out for me when I want to use it.

Thank you again for the suggestions. Happy New Year! Don

I've been watching that boat on CL......looks to be a very clean ZT280. I really like the colors and graphics. If the engine checks out, I think low 20s is a fair price for the boat.

Good luck-

no trailer and previously painted bottom = tough sell
It is clean looking however...

There is a bunch of stuff that will be out there this winter and if you will keep your eyes open there will be a deal somewhere. The main thing is to GET A SURVEY!! I am talking about a boat survey and an engine survey. They are two very different things and the engine is probably the most important. Boat may look great but a little metal in the gear case or corrosion inside the motor or leaky cylinder and all of a sudden you are into this thing for $30K. Any good HP Marine mechanic shouldn't charge you over a couple hundred bucks for a thorough going over of everything.

IMHO, the bottom line is this: what's it worth to you? Based on the responses here (and I'll add my +1 to them), it seems like you've found a solid boat with good maintenance history and what seems to be a responsible owner. The 502 is a great motor as long as you take care of it, and it should move that hull pretty well. Get a good survey including a compression and leakdown test on the 502; if it all checks out and you're OK with what it doesn't have (no trailer, previously bottom painted), throw him an offer of $20K. Personally, a solid maintenance record and "pride of ownership" is worth a bit more - lots of junk out there!

Looks as though the boat was well taken care of and documented to prove it. Nada doesn't reflect a boat that has that option. Lol. I am a boat dealer and was involved with the largest checkmate dealer. Would you find a cheaper checkmate later in the winter? Maybe, however it might be junk. The sanity of knowing this boat was well taken care of is worth every penny. With that said anything can happen at any time. You never know when something is going to let go no matter how well it was taken care of. Something is worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

Thank you all for your knowledge here. Will have the survey done and will sea trial the boat after that.

Really appreciate all of your insight!

Well said SVL . I paid well over NADA for my Checkmate. But it was a single owner boat. Never spent a night in the water. Serviced by a very reputable Checkmate dealer. Who sold the boat new and was personal friends with the owner. You can't put a price on the peace of mind from knowing all that.

I got an Idea offer him 30K with a 5 year warranty."Giggle"

Here is what looks to be a pretty nice boat for just under 25K W/trailer. looks like a real classic.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1995-HALLETT...wer_Motorboats

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