Test Driving

[travlnmannn]

Hopefully the sellers wife shows up. We drove 2 hours to test drive a boat that looked amazing online. It had a couple of issues but the price was right. My wife befriended the seller's wife on the test drive and the next thing you know she was telling us how they always hit stumps, lit a seat on fire with a cigerrette, part of the 'Malibu' decals fell off and had to be replaced etc... She talked us right out of our offer.

Make friends with the guy, don't be a Jack-a$$ and it will all be fine. You'll know within 10-20 minutes if they take care of it. Just make sure they answer the questions you ask and don't act alarmed if something they say surpriseses you (like: we leave it outside and have never winterized it). Just agree and keep smiling and they will open up even more about their habits and maintenance.

I'm glad that's not my wife.

[tvano]

I'm glad that's not my wife.

that would be close to earning the "ex" prefix on the "wife" word.

[travlnmannn]

that would be close to earning the "ex" prefix on the "wife" word.

[k_b_stephens]

Be glad the seller put it in the water! Last year when I was looking at 06-07 VLXs, one seller told me flat out "no" when asked if we could take it for a spin and he lived on the lake. He also had the nerve to call a week later to ask if I was still interested!

[shawndoggy]

Be glad the seller put it in the water! Last year when I was looking at 06-07 VLXs, one seller told me flat out "no" when asked if we could take it for a spin and he lived on the lake. He also had the nerve to call a week later to ask if I was still interested!

LOL yeah I had another guy tell me (in response to my question about getting it on the water) that I'd need to pay for his insurance and that if the boat sunk or was damaged in any way it would be on me. Told him I'd never buy a boat I didn't drive and he came back with "I've never driven a boat before paying for it." Well..... hard to argue with that logic.

[wakeboy]

LOL yeah I had another guy tell me (in response to my question about getting it on the water) that I'd need to pay for his insurance and that if the boat sunk or was damaged in any way it would be on me. Told him I'd never buy a boat I didn't drive and he came back with "I've never driven a boat before paying for it." Well..... hard to argue with that logic.

You should have asked him if he got to walk around inside his house before he owned it or did he have to buy it first?

[Bill_AirJunky]

LOL yeah I had another guy tell me (in response to my question about getting it on the water) that I'd need to pay for his insurance and that if the boat sunk or was damaged in any way it would be on me. Told him I'd never buy a boat I didn't drive and he came back with "I've never driven a boat before paying for it." Well..... hard to argue with that logic.

Easy to walk away from though.

Maybe he's that bad a driver.

Or maybe just a big buckethead. Makes you wonder about people.

Edited May 20, 2010 by Bill_AirJunky

[wakeboy]

He could be an over protective owner that treated his boat perfectly. However, he could not have wanted to put the boat in the water because there was a major issue he was hiding from you. Like Bill said, that is an easy one to walk away from.

[Woodski]

Here is an option for the lack of test drive. Request a warrenty for a boat purchased w/o a test drive that legally binds the seller to refund the purchase price if the boat does not meet a measurable set of criteria. Bring cash and show the seller a stack of greenbacks and I would bet that most will waive the requirement. Bottom line, the person wants to sell the boat, not keep it.

[Pistol Pete]

"I've never driven a boat before paying for it." Well..... hard to argue with that logic.

I sold a superbike to a young guy once who didn't even test ride it. I offered to let him take it out. "Nope, it's ok"

Fired it up in my garage let him sit on it and then watched him and his buddy load it into the back of their pick up truck while I was counting and testing the stack of 100 dollar bills he paid me with.

They drove up the night before and had to stay at a hotel the drive was so long for them (I forget where they came from, So. Cal. I think)

[WakeGirl]

I was sitting here thinking about the last 2 boats that we sold, & it dawned on me that not only were both buyers from out of state, but neither buyer required that I even fire it up for them on the fake a lake. I'd never really considered how odd that is. Not that it was my choice, to the contrary it was the buyer's choice to waive that part.

Many posters within this thread wouldn't at all like what I would ask as a potential buyer.

[LS-One]

I've sold three bu's. One was to a family member so the boat condition and history wasn't an issue. The other two though was like Tracie's experience neither one asked to hear it run or drive it. The guy who bought my houseboat was going to fork over 170k in cash without a marine inspection until I insisted on it.

[WakeGirl]

That just makes me shake my head in amazement.

[shawndoggy]

Many posters within this thread wouldn't at all like what I would ask as a potential buyer.

I just keep thinking of you showing up with a six person hot dog tube and telling the seller you need to take a couple sets to see how the tube wake is.

[WakeGirl]

I'm glad that I didn't have soda in my mouth when I read that because it would have all come out my nose. That's funny right there.

[WakingMeHappy]

The last boat I sold was a SeaRay. The buyer drove 400+ miles to pick it up. We met at a local shop and he didn’t want to go to the lake because he had a long drive home. He also asked for advice on towing because he had never towed a boat before. When I tried to help him hook up the hitch…well…he didn’t have one. I’m talking no hitch, no receiver, no mount, no wire connection, no nuttin!!! Since the shop didn’t have all the parts he needed went to a local car parts store. Since I had the check I left. The check was good, the next day the boat was gone and I’ve never heard from him again.

[Sixball]

The last boat I sold was a SeaRay. The buyer drove 400+ miles to pick it up. We met at a local shop and he didn’t want to go to the lake because he had a long drive home. He also asked for advice on towing because he had never towed a boat before. When I tried to help him hook up the hitch…well…he didn’t have one. I’m talking no hitch, no receiver, no mount, no wire connection, no nuttin!!! Since the shop didn’t have all the parts he needed went to a local car parts store. Since I had the check I left. The check was good, the next day the boat was gone and I’ve never heard from him again.

Nothing like being prepared!

Oh ya now I remember what I was doing.

[Bobby Light]

The last boat I sold was a SeaRay. The buyer drove 400+ miles to pick it up. We met at a local shop and he didn’t want to go to the lake because he had a long drive home. He also asked for advice on towing because he had never towed a boat before. When I tried to help him hook up the hitch…well…he didn’t have one. I’m talking no hitch, no receiver, no mount, no wire connection, no nuttin!!! Since the shop didn’t have all the parts he needed went to a local car parts store. Since I had the check I left. The check was good, the next day the boat was gone and I’ve never heard from him again.

I don't blame you for taking off, I wouldn't want to be a part of that mess either .

[msuwaterski]

I just sold my boat yesterday. The buyer did come for a test drive and ski. He is new to inboards so he asked me to show him the ropes while I pulled his friend skiing. He wanted to be in the boat to hear the engine while his buddy skied, and his buddy gave him feedback on the wake and pull. After my wife and I skied (wanted to get one last set in behind our boat), he then took the helm and drove it around the lake for about ten minutes, hitting all speeds, and doing a few quick hole shots. As a seller I had no problem with any of that.

[MizzouMike]

When I sold my Sea Ray this winter, I got a call in February from a guy who wanted to hear it run. First guy in four months who indicated that much interest, so I was happy to de-winterize/winterize if he was serious. Nothing like two boats in the garage during the heart of winter. He shows up, I start her up, he looks around the boat a little, and tells me he is just getting started looking at boats, and he will let me know He drove it away the following Saturday