I am in the market for a boat. There is a big boat show in February and that is about the time I'll be ready to buy. Do you think boat shows are a good deal, or not so much? Is February a good time to buy (off season?) or not (start of season?)? I am in Virginia, in case that matters. Thank you!
2007-06-13 23:44:48 · 12 answers · asked by Kelly F 1 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Boats & Boating
Yes, a boat show in the off season should get you a good deal. Also the end of the season is a good time to buy. There is wiggle room, and the longer a dealer has a boat sitting on his lot the more it costs him. So he would drop the price even more as time goes on to move the boat. Another way to get a good deal is find a dealer that has a few models from a line he is no longer going to carry, and get "closeout pricing" Again, great savings. But if you want to save the most money get a used boat. Find one with low hours, get it surveyed and make an offer. There are so many low hour boats in new condition you can save a fortune.
2007-06-14 01:19:22 · answer #1 · answered by mark t 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1
2016-12-24 02:24:34 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I sold boats from when I was 16 to 24... and Yes Boat Shows really do have the best deals. Dealers typically pay big bucks for there space at the show and to make that up they need to sell a lot of boats! Boats are always marked up A LOT - on a 40K boat the dealer will usually make at least 10K, maybe 12K - so they have a lot of room to "play" On top of this these "early boat shows" in months before the summer season are always the best. Boat manufacturers give boat deals tons of discounts and incentives to sell - so that the factories can continue producing - basically so that they know the boats they are building will not be sitting at their lot - but instead immediately going to dealers. Dealers usually pass this along to their customers. Also - and it is kind of unfair - but try finding a dealer who sells lots of boats every year (200+) the way it works is the more boats they sell - the higher discount they get off the wholesale price, so large dealers can give you better deals typically... If I were buying a boat - I would definitely wait until a boat show - then I would wheel and deal the hell out of them... you can't do this as much on inexpensive boats (boats under 20K) but anything over, there is usually a lot of room, and dealers will sell just to get rid of inventory. Dealers usually finance their boats in stock and pay interest on it... so they want them out as quickly as possible..
2007-06-14 05:01:47 · answer #3 · answered by DDrew 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It really depends on type of boat show it is.There are two types,a dealer show where each booth is owned by one dealer,the other is a manufactures show where multiple dealers are working out of the same booth.The first type will have many dealers selling the same product,Mercury,Lund etc.you go from booth to the next making your best deal,then you can play one against the other,and believe me they will do dam near anything to close the sale.Something to remember is that the dealer likely has only one or two of the model you are looking at,so what he is doing is taking orders and deposits,then he can get a better deal from the manufacture which give him a larger profit margin,that's why you can often get a better deal at the end of a show,the dealer already knows he has sold a dozen of that model and has more room to play with.
The second type is a tough one to get the best deal from,you don't know the other dealers in the booth and their pricing,and believe me the sales people watch to make sure no one approaches ``their client``,it can get very nasty.
I`ve sold boats for over 30 years and have seen the good and bad,but your best deal will come from a dealer show if your willing to work for it.
good luck.Safe boating
2007-06-14 03:27:57 · answer #4 · answered by singer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you're intent on buying a new boat, you can get very good deals at the boat show... also you can sometimes get equipment and supplies at large discounts.
However, the most important rule of boating is that no one in their right mind ever buys a new boat.....as after 1 day, it will become a used boat and be worth 20% less.
2007-06-14 03:27:01 · answer #5 · answered by squeezie_1999 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The best of all answers, yes and no! The show might coincide with manufacturer incentives to the the dealer or some other factor. The dealer might be willing to cut his profit margin during a slow period. YET, our marina which attends many shows has a boat that was a show special at 128K and it is now 121K. I think they have a lot of wiggle room as I have seen some very liberal trade-in discounts. As with almost everything, you cannot do too much research and price comparison. If you can be flexible in the boat you want and the features it will be to your advantage.
2007-06-14 00:01:52 · answer #6 · answered by Andy 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Boat Show Deals
2016-12-15 12:21:53 · answer #7 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I know numerous yacht brokers. They are all crooks. Go to the show to see what kinds of boats fit your criteria. Then, sit on your hands, and continually scan boat sales from private parties. You might have to wait a while, but someone will get a divorce, or even die (I hate to say it that way), and people will dump a really nice boat for next to nothing. It happens all of the time, just be patient.
THERE ARE NO GOOD DEALS AT BOAT SHOWS!
Trust me, they try to get rid of the problem boats there.
2007-06-16 19:42:35 · answer #8 · answered by The Walkin Dude 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Boat shows is a great place to "feel" the boat
2007-06-14 00:16:58 · answer #9 · answered by Damon_ru 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My father used to say the best deal comes on the last day.
With that said, if you go near the end of the last day, they would rather sell it than take it with them and they are always more motivated to make the deal.
2007-06-13 23:49:19 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋