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lookin at 99 sunsetter what do u guys think


seekinasylum

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My bro in law is lookin for a boat, he is in the tight budget of 11k because of college, he has been lookin at efi pro stars and maristars, but is keepin his options open,all he does is wakeboard. i came across this sunsetter, but it sounds sketchy figured i would get you guys final opinion it. the seller says it needs an ecm. he is sellin as is and that an ecm is 1 grand it has 650 hours. what do u think

http://www.boattrader.com/find/listing/1999-Malibu-Sunsetter-Lx-97056451

Edited by seekinasylum
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My bro in law is lookin for a boat, he is in the tight budget of 11k because of college, he has been lookin at efi pro stars and maristars, but is keepin his options open,all he does is wakeboard. i came across this sunsetter, but it sounds sketchy figured i would get you guys final opinion it. the seller says it needs an ecm. he is sellin as is and that an ecm is 1 grand it has 650 hours. what do u think

http://www.boattrader.com/find/listing/1999-Malibu-Sunsetter-Lx-97056451

How does he feel about sun damage? Get a shop to verify the install of a new ecm or work with the seller to get it fixed and you pay the difference?

If you could get it working and then clean it up to look like new you will have paid 8K less than I did this year. But you still have 500 more hours that me!

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My bro in law is lookin for a boat, he is in the tight budget of 11k because of college, he has been lookin at efi pro stars and maristars, but is keepin his options open,all he does is wakeboard. i came across this sunsetter, but it sounds sketchy figured i would get you guys final opinion it. the seller says it needs an ecm. he is sellin as is and that an ecm is 1 grand it has 650 hours. what do u think

http://www.boattrader.com/find/listing/1999-Malibu-Sunsetter-Lx-97056451

I have a '99 Sunsetter LXi and I love the boat. It is excellent for skiing and barefooting, great for wakeboarding, and good for surfing (with couple FatSacs) when there is not a Wakesetter around.

I bought mine last year with 174 hours on it and have put 100 trouble-free hours on it over two seasons. I paid $14K for it and it was in virtually perfect condition; beautifully maintained inside and out.

The boat and trailer in the photos look a little rough cosmetically although the upholstry looks to be in pretty good shape. The gelcoat can be made to look like new by following the sage advice found elsewhere on this site and applying some elbow grease. Replacement decals are not terribly expensive and many people think the boats look better without the brand advertising.

Yes, an ECM is about a grand but don't trust anything the seller says. Your brother-in-law should have the mechanicals (compression, transmission, drive shaft, prop, rudder, steering, etc.) checked by a competent mechanic and have the hull structure (fin, shaft hanger, and rudder mountings, stringers, engine mounts, etc.) inspected for weakness, rot, damage, and improper repairs by an equally competent boat repair specialist (NOT an auto body shop). Prop/hull strikes poorly repaired with Bondo by auto body shops are common and can cost more than this boat is selling for to repair correctly (which is why they are done in the first place -- to fob a wreck off onto some unsuspecting pie-eyed boat-owner to be). Expect to pay $100-200 or so for a thorough inspection -- money well spent if a problem is discovered and peace of mind if it is given a clean bill of health. This can be done remotely if the boat is not local.

Check the HDS for leaking (lots of threads here on this -- I assume this boat has one because mine does). Run a garden hose into the hull and watch around the bottom where the prop shaft exits the hull. Look for a drip every few seconds; this is proper. Any more than this and the HDS may be leaking (or it could just be the shaft packing). Your structural inspection should cover this.

The gauge cluster and associated computer are pretty expensive so these should be checked out as well.

Upholstry, carpet, teak, rub rail, electrical, and hardware are all relatively easy and inexepensive to repair/refurbish.

If he buys it, he should change all fluids and filters immediately and replace the water pump impeller and accessory belt. A carb overhaul by a specialist would not be a bad idea either.

Finally, make sure he can pass the boat ownership test before jumping in:

1. Have him flush a $100 bill down the toilet.

2. If it bothers him, he's not ready.

Best of luck to him; the Sunsetter is a great all-around boat that will give him years of enjoyment if he gets a good one.

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he comes out on my boat every weekend and i told him your welcome to come anytime but he has his heart set on his own boat, cant say i blame him sometimes i find myself just staring at mine in the garage. anyway i would like to see him get a malibu but as rough as that boat looks i doubt they changed the fluids properly and did proper maintenance and thats something im a freak about. i wasnt sure if the ecu was really a grand or not but if so its just not worth the gamble if it has more problems imo.

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I have the same boat (including color) and it has been great for my family. If the HDS isn’t leaking it will unless it’s already been repaired. I repaired mines this past weekend. Wasn’t as hard as I thought it was going to be. I would be worried about the ECM. That I would want checked out and verified before any purchase agreements were made.

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That boat has been for sale awhile. I called about it once and the guy told me it needed a $1200 part that he was having trouble ordering. At that time he wanted something like $13500 for it, but was willing to go down to $12200. I would be worried that he STILL hasn't fixed the problem yet. But for that price, you could get a lot of work done and come out ok. I would be cautious though.

Edited by jdgreen1
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That boat looks very used! Tell your buddy to be patient and he will be really happy when he finds the right boat for the right price. Just wait a few months and there will be many more boats on the market.

if I were spending $11k on a boat, I would expect it to be ready to go. I don't want to buy someone else's headache!!

Edited by ColinP
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