I need your help buying my next Bu, SSLxi

[msuwaterski]

Hey crew I have been given the thumbs up by the warden to begin the hunt for our next boat. We have decided on a SSLxi in the model years '00 - '04. I have found several '00 and '01 for sale and am curious if there is a big difference between those model years. Here are a few that I am looking at (not all of them disclose the hours). Any and all feedback is welcome. Also, if any of you are interested in selling your '00 - '04 SSLxi, or know of a deal in your area, please let me know.

Thanks, Jeff

http://sfbay.craigsl...1681655036.html

http://www.boattrade...ER-LXI-96506072

http://www.boattrade...er-Lxi-96561251

http://www.onlyinboards.com/Details.aspx?ID=818154

[msuwaterski]

Anyone??

[mibarefooter]

The only link that works is the last one.

[wienrdog]

The 99 is the same hull too.

Primary difference between 00 & 01 is the switch from rotary switches along dash in 00 to toggle switches in 01.

99 - had 310 Carb or 325 Monsoon. Single piece rear sear - IIRC

00 - 02 had 310 Carb or 325 Monsoon Engines

03 has 310 Carb or 335 Monsoon

04 has 310 Carb or 340 Monsoon

We really like or 01 (650 Hrs). Some general maintenance to get it back into shape after we bought it 3 years ago, but it's been a solid boat.

[msuwaterski]

The only link that works is the last one.

Here are the links again. I don't know why they stopped working. The last boat has been for sale for a while. Seems like a real nice boat for the price. I am wondering why it has not sold yet??

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2000-MALIBU-SUNSETTER-LXI-96506072

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2001-Malibu-Sunsetter-LXi-400858

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2001-MALIBU-Sunsetter-Lxi-96561251

http://www.onlyinboards.com/Details.aspx?ID=818154

[jk13]

As much as I like that Titan 3 on there, that first boat doesn't look well maintained to be asking that price. Packing tape over a tear in the back seat and a lot of rust on the outside of the engine, especially the hoses. That would lead me to believe something went wrong with an exterior component like the alternator or raw water pump and threw rust dust all over the engine bay. Then when (if) they fixed it, they didn't take the time to clean it up. Right tower and accessories, perhaps wrong previous owner.

It takes the right person to own a yellow boat. That person is not me. Pics of the motor would help.

The blue one looks to be in better shape than the green, it would be my first look.

The last one is the cheapest, need more pics to consider.

I'll keep an eye out for more options. Main thing with buying a used boat is patience. Find the right boat for you so you don't regret it later. You may not have gotten a lot of replies last night because many were probably recovering from a day on the water.

[martinarcher]

That's any easy decision out of those 4. The last one. Has PP, Titan tower, wedge and is 5 grand less than the other 3. As long as it looks as good in person as it does in the pics..... Be sure to take it for a spin and if you can run a compression check on the engine before buying. Good luck. You'll love the SSLxi. Awesome boat.

[Malibudude]

Just some initial thoughts..

Not sure if any of these have been used in salt or brackish waters….

Boat #1 has a nasty scum line where the trunk closes and the rear trunk either has stains or is wet for some reason. Teak isn’t kept up, easy fix but this owner wasn’t anal about up keep imho. The ending rust is also an alarm to why it’s in such bad shape. Air induction tubing isn’t connected under the passenger compartment, not a huge issue but just the overall maintenance of this boat is questionable w/o more investigation and the price should be more in the 15k range given

Boat#2 single axel trailer really prefer tandem but we travel longer distances out west and the extra axel can really help for limping along if you blow more than on tire. Seems the hull and interior are in good shape but I’m not a fan of that tower, it’ll sway big time loaded up w/ gear. No hours listed, seems rudimentary when selling a boat especially a dealer. I would guess high hours..

Boat #3Again not a fan of the tower same as boat#2, but the wedge isn’t discolored and the overall appearance seems to better than Boat #1 or #2. Still only has a single axel trailer but they do state it’s an ’08 so keep that in mind as trailers age maintenance increases.

Boat #4 best deal all around nice tower, PP, center ballast but needs more pictures to see it’s truely in top shape.

Notwithstanding color I’d say #4 appears to be the best deal and options, but with the current pics it appears #3 is the best maintained. #1 one has the best tower but appears to be the least up kept of all four.

[willh2oski4food]

DO NOT BUY BOAT #4!!!!!

I actually test drove it about a month ago and it is not as advertised! My dad was in the market for a sunsetter and we drove down to Houston from Kansas to take a look at it, and it is not in good shape. It has spent a majority of its life in brackish water. It is marred with numerous scuffs all over the hull (ask the dealer to send up close pics and you can see). While we were there, we mentioned something to the dealer about the scuffs in the hull, and he said it is something that a good wax job could fix (why hadn't they done this yet?) In addition there are areas along the hull where you can visibly see the corosion from the salt water use.

The dealer also told us the engine "ran like a top", however when we test drove it, the engine was in need of a serious tune-up. It's top speed was only 40 mph, and it certainly did not have a good hole shot. I believe it has a 310 hp Vortec engine in it, and our current Malibu (97 RLXI) with a 260 hp Merc Mag has a much better hole shot and higher top speed. The dealer said this was something that could be corrected with a tune-up, however they also said they had done all the maintenance on this boat its entire life (again, why hadn't they tuned it up yet?)

The perfect pass also had trouble maintaining speed. We only ran it at 25 mph, and the engine would rev up and down to try and maintain the speed.

Also the trailer is in very bad shape. The tires had some serious dry rot on them and had numerous cracks on them. The wheels had quite a bit of rust on the lug nuts, and the bearing buddy's were full of rust. Even if we had bought this boat, I'm not sure it would have made it back to KS.

The good things about this boat are the interior (in really good shape), and the tower (rock solid). It also did start right up when we put it.

Just thought I'd give you my input so you don't make an unnecessary trip down to Houston like we did. Hope this Helps.

Nate

[martinarcher]

DO NOT BUY BOAT #4!!!!!

I actually test drove it about a month ago and it is not as advertised! My dad was in the market for a sunsetter and we drove down to Houston from Kansas to take a look at it, and it is not in good shape. It has spent a majority of its life in brackish water. It is marred with numerous scuffs all over the hull (ask the dealer to send up close pics and you can see). While we were there, we mentioned something to the dealer about the scuffs in the hull, and he said it is something that a good wax job could fix (why hadn't they done this yet?) In addition there are areas along the hull where you can visibly see the corosion from the salt water use.

The dealer also told us the engine "ran like a top", however when we test drove it, the engine was in need of a serious tune-up. It's top speed was only 40 mph, and it certainly did not have a good hole shot. I believe it has a 310 hp Vortec engine in it, and our current Malibu (97 RLXI) with a 260 hp Merc Mag has a much better hole shot and higher top speed. The dealer said this was something that could be corrected with a tune-up, however they also said they had done all the maintenance on this boat its entire life (again, why hadn't they tuned it up yet?)

The perfect pass also had trouble maintaining speed. We only ran it at 25 mph, and the engine would rev up and down to try and maintain the speed.

Also the trailer is in very bad shape. The tires had some serious dry rot on them and had numerous cracks on them. The wheels had quite a bit of rust on the lug nuts, and the bearing buddy's were full of rust. Even if we had bought this boat, I'm not sure it would have made it back to KS.

The good things about this boat are the interior (in really good shape), and the tower (rock solid). It also did start right up when we put it.

Just thought I'd give you my input so you don't make an unnecessary trip down to Houston like we did. Hope this Helps.

Nate

Bummer. Brackish water is all I would need to hear to walk (or better yet run) away.

In that case I would look at boat #3 (good shape even though the tower is a flop) first then boat #1(tower rules, but I saw was MDude saw - unmaintained teak means the owner wasn't as good on up keep as he should have been).

[wienrdog]

Boat #2 (Blue one) is listed as a 2001, but is a 2000. Take a look at the rotary switches below the wheel vs the switches on the yellow 01.

[msuwaterski]

DO NOT BUY BOAT #4!!!!!

I actually test drove it about a month ago and it is not as advertised! My dad was in the market for a sunsetter and we drove down to Houston from Kansas to take a look at it, and it is not in good shape. It has spent a majority of its life in brackish water. It is marred with numerous scuffs all over the hull (ask the dealer to send up close pics and you can see). While we were there, we mentioned something to the dealer about the scuffs in the hull, and he said it is something that a good wax job could fix (why hadn't they done this yet?) In addition there are areas along the hull where you can visibly see the corosion from the salt water use.

The dealer also told us the engine "ran like a top", however when we test drove it, the engine was in need of a serious tune-up. It's top speed was only 40 mph, and it certainly did not have a good hole shot. I believe it has a 310 hp Vortec engine in it, and our current Malibu (97 RLXI) with a 260 hp Merc Mag has a much better hole shot and higher top speed. The dealer said this was something that could be corrected with a tune-up, however they also said they had done all the maintenance on this boat its entire life (again, why hadn't they tuned it up yet?)

The perfect pass also had trouble maintaining speed. We only ran it at 25 mph, and the engine would rev up and down to try and maintain the speed.

Also the trailer is in very bad shape. The tires had some serious dry rot on them and had numerous cracks on them. The wheels had quite a bit of rust on the lug nuts, and the bearing buddy's were full of rust. Even if we had bought this boat, I'm not sure it would have made it back to KS.

The good things about this boat are the interior (in really good shape), and the tower (rock solid). It also did start right up when we put it.

Just thought I'd give you my input so you don't make an unnecessary trip down to Houston like we did. Hope this Helps.

Nate

Thanks bro! Great feedback. I was suspicious. Way too nice of a boat based on options for the price. Also, it has been for sale for several months which raised a red flag.

Great feedback from everyone. Please let me know if there is an SSLxi for sale in your area!

[Chia]

Thanks bro! Great feedback. I was suspicious. Way too nice of a boat based on options for the price. Also, it has been for sale for several months which raised a red flag.

Great feedback from everyone. Please let me know if there is an SSLxi for sale in your area!

just sent you a pm of what appears to be a pretty nice one in OH.

good luck with your search.

[msuwaterski]

Does anyone know anything about these boats? The second one just popped up on onlyinboards today. Does the price seem a little high??

http://texas.boatshed.com/malibu_sunsetter_lxi-boat-40353.html

http://www.onlyinboards.com/Details.aspx?ID=817671

Edited April 13, 2010 by msuwaterski

[willh2oski4food]

Thanks bro! Great feedback. I was suspicious. Way too nice of a boat based on options for the price. Also, it has been for sale for several months which raised a red flag.

Great feedback from everyone. Please let me know if there is an SSLxi for sale in your area!

No problem. I would check out craiglook.com it is the nationwide search for craigslist. I searched for "malibu sunsetter lxi" and found 6 decent looking boats. Hopefully that helps.

[msuwaterski]

No problem. I would check out craiglook.com it is the nationwide search for craigslist. I searched for "malibu sunsetter lxi" and found 6 decent looking boats. Hopefully that helps.

I could kiss you right now! I have always wanted to be able to search all of the craigslists nation wide and here there is a website to do just that. I can't even tell you how excited I am right now and how much time every morning that is going to save me. Thanks man!