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New Guy Needs Advise - 1998 Sunsetter LX


hybridpower

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So what do the rest of you think? If it was you and you could buy a boat with this many hours for $10k, would you do it?

Personally, No I would not buy that boat. Even if all the maintenance has been done regularly and everything checks out ok with a compression test, leak down test etc, I still would not buy that boat. JMO, but if the motor hasn't gone yet, it will soon. And these are ski/wake boats after all. They don't get babied. They get run hard. Anywhere from 25mph to WOT. And if they used the boat primarily as a wakeboard or surf boat and loaded it down with ridiculous amounts of balast like some people do, then that motor has worked really hard, cause 10-14mph with ballast, not only do you have high rpms, but you are displacing a lot water ie causeing the motor to work hard.

You also have to think about the rest of the boat too such as the transmission, the steering/throttle cables, the dash components etc. In this economy there are lots of boats out there and lots of deals. Pass it up and find something with less hours that hasn't been used as much.

Think about this: you have bought the boat and two or three months later, the motor goes. Now you have to do a rebuild. If you can do everything yourself, you might get away with $1500. If not you are into probably $4-$5000. That makes this boat now $15000 assuming you could get it for $10000. For $15000 you could find a very nice boat with a lot less hours and wouldn't have all the down time either that a lengthy repair takes.

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sunscape, how long have you been an inboard/vdrive user?

I just ask because as I said earlier, it seems that people that are relatively new to the inboard market are much more hesitatnt about hours. Perhaps that has to do with a dealer talking them into a new boat because they put a ceiling on the expected hours that an engine will last, but in my opinion, that's just salesmanship. I think it is way too broad to suggest that the motor "will go soon". It may if it was not properly maintained, but if it was maintained, it is not unreasonable to expect that many more hours before any substantial work is needed. Even if a valve or something goes or the manifolds rust out (probably the most likely to happen first), it's not like you need a new motor. Like I mentioned earlier, I recently "re-"bought our old boat, a 1985 barefoot nautique with a 454 with a broken hour meter at 1400 hours. Talk about being run hard and long! Everything runs great, and that boat was 13 years old when the OP's boat was built! Don't let the hours per se scare you if the rest of the boat suggests it was well-taken care of.

If it's well-taken care of, 10k is a steal, IMO. Check out www.the2001.com to feel better about high hours. My vote would be to buy if you feel comforatble with the boat.

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I have been an inboard user for about 15 years. I sold my last malibu with 763 hours on it. It still ran fine, however I could foresee in the future it was going to need engine work, which I did not want to get into. So I sold the boat and the new owner was fully informed of the boats needs.

It is entirely up to the OP whether he buys this boat or not. But he asked for others' opinions so I offered up mine. And I stand by it. In my opinion, with so many used Malibus on the market, why bother purchase a boat with high hours when one can be found with less hours? It doesn't make sense to me. He is running the risk of having to do major repairs as well as the life of the boat is shorter. Again, it is JMHO.

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Just to set the record straight, there is no wood in a '98 Malibu:

construction.JPG

We had a '98 Sunsetter and put 990 hours on it over 11 seasons. Fact, if I hadn't found the deal on the VTX we would still be enjoying our Sunsetter, and would be for many more years with no sleep lost over engine hours. Easy for me to say when I bought the boat new but anything that can go wrong on a boat with "high hours" can go wrong on a boat with "low hours".

What you can expect that might need attention at some point (and I had to deal with): Engine: belt, circulator pump. Boat: blower, bilge pump and HDS. Regular stuff: plugs, cables, cap, rotor, filters and impeller. The only thing I didn't take care of myself was the HDS. Update: (just thought of it) stereo head and all speakers replaced once (neither marine rated).

Short of an oil change and needing new carpet on the trailer bunks, my boat was turn key and would never have considered an offer at $10k or $11k.

Oh and the Sunsetter LX IS a great boat capable of anything you want to do with it!

Edited by CTSunsetter
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I have been an inboard user for about 15 years. I sold my last malibu with 763 hours on it. It still ran fine, however I could foresee in the future it was going to need engine work, which I did not want to get into. So I sold the boat and the new owner was fully informed of the boats needs.

It is entirely up to the OP whether he buys this boat or not. But he asked for others' opinions so I offered up mine. And I stand by it. In my opinion, with so many used Malibus on the market, why bother purchase a boat with high hours when one can be found with less hours? It doesn't make sense to me. He is running the risk of having to do major repairs as well as the life of the boat is shorter. Again, it is JMHO.

Sure, and I'm sure OP appreciates it. I think your opinion is a good one. From my perspective, however, a boat with high hours that has been taken care of is more appealing that fewer hours that has been neglected. Avoiding hours, just for the sake of avoiding hours, in my opinion, just not the best criteria for assessing the life left in the boat. Recently I was helping a buddy buy a new boat in the 20k range. We came across some that were used heavily, mildly, and some used rarely. However, it always seemed like the more boats were used the better they were cared for, but the low hour sellers would really use that as a tactic, as if a few hundred less hours excused their neglect and leaving it outside uncovered for weeks. Personally, I'll exchange hours for overall treatment and if OPs boat looks like it was well-taken care of, I wouldn't suggest he run just due to the hours.

You know what they say about opinions. Whistling.gif

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Just to set the record straight, there is no wood in a '98 Malibu:

construction.JPG

We had a '98 Sunsetter and put 990 hours on it over 11 seasons. Fact, if I hadn't found the deal on the VTX we would still be enjoying our Sunsetter, and would be for many more years with no sleep lost over engine hours. Easy for me to say when I bought the boat new but anything that can go wrong on a boat with "high hours" can go wrong on a boat with "low hours".

What you can expect that might need attention at some point (and I had to deal with): Engine: belt, circulator pump. Boat: blower, bilge pump and HDS. Regular stuff: plugs, cables, cap, rotor, filters and impeller. The only thing I didn't take care of myself was the HDS. Update: (just thought of it) stereo head and all speakers replaced once (neither marine rated).

Short of an oil change and needing new carpet on the trailer bunks, my boat was turn key and would never have considered an offer at $10k or $11k.

Oh and the Sunsetter LX IS a great boat capable of anything you want to do with it!

How long ago did you sell yours? The market is much different then it was even 1-2 years ago. V-drive boats are highly favored over dd, new boat prices are down, and the market is flooded with used boats.

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How long ago did you sell yours? The market is much different then it was even 1-2 years ago. V-drive boats are highly favored over dd, new boat prices are down, and the market is flooded with used boats.

April 18th, 2009. There were two other LXs and an LXi in CT for sale at the same time and they all sold within a week.

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A couple of months ago I bought a 1999 Sunsetter LX in good condition with 540 hrs for a little under 14k. It came with a tower, wedge, and misc equipment (wakeboards, wakeskate, life jackets, etc.). I had shopped around for a couple of months prior to buying and have not regretted the purchase. What you're looking at is a year older with more hours......but thought my recent purchase of a similar boat would help

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