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New Boat Price Negotiating


dielawn

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Hi Team,

I've seen some threads with a little chatter about price negotiating but I wanted to delve into it a bit more.

I know a lot of dealerships are different and have different policies but that is why I want hear from you.

Here are two scenarios I am questioning currently. I am going to be looking at the new 2015 VLX, is knocking 20% off the MSRP the standard in terms of negotiating price? Should I be stubborn and shoot for more than 20%?

If I am looking at a brand new 2014 VLX and lets say the dealership is going "let the boat for 84k" Is it reasonable to be knock off 5k from that supposedly already highly discounted price, due to the boat being old stock that they are trying to move? Is 5k off the asking price not enough? more or less? Thoughts?

Let me know what tips and tricks you used when attempting to get the best price. Thanks!

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I think it really depends on how bad they want to move the boat and how much demand is your area. You are certainly going to have more negotiating power on a year old Model that's been sitting for a year and in some cases 2 years. When I bought my 2013 VTX this spring it went from listed at 22% off boat show got Togo price when i asked what they would sell it for they said 25-26%off, I said I was interested, then they called me offering it 33% off.

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Since it is can be difficult to price shop between two different Malibu dealerships, I would suggest that you tell your dealership that you are also looking at some other brand of boat. While I have not purchased a new boat, I did go through the process and found this to be helpful tactic.

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Yep, show up with another boat brochure and hold it open while looking at the boat you want comparing the two. Show them you are serious about a different boat. Dismiss any reasoning they have for their boat to be better. "That doesn't make much difference to me." "We're not that serious for that option to be a deal breaker" etc.

If buying a left over, know what that same year of used boat is going for on the market. Don't be scared to tell them that as soon as you pull the boat off the lot it is worth $XX less than you are paying. You don't mind paying a little extra for new, but the gap is just too big.

Play down the options on a left over boat as you don't need them. Make them discount the options a bit, that's where a lot of the mark up sits.

  • Like 1
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Yep, show up with another boat brochure and hold it open while looking at the boat you want comparing the two. Show them you are serious about a different boat. Dismiss any reasoning they have for their boat to be better. "That doesn't make much difference to me." "We're not that serious for that option to be a deal breaker" etc.

If buying a left over, know what that same year of used boat is going for on the market. Don't be scared to tell them that as soon as you pull the boat off the lot it is worth $XX less than you are paying. You don't mind paying a little extra for new, but the gap is just too big.

Play down the options on a left over boat as you don't need them. Make them discount the options a bit, that's where a lot of the mark up sits.

Great advice. Also remember that time is a valuable commodity for a salesperson. Stop by several times and make them spend an hour or two each time and ask for demonstrations on how stuff works, do a test ride, etc...That gets them emotionally invested and puts your name on the high potential sale board in the back that is used to track potential sales. Negotiate a little each time but DON'T BUY for at least 4 trips. It's not a huge amount of time but it will payoff!

Also if you are considering a leftover '14 I'd have 2-3 low hours '14 or '13 similar boats for price comparison.

It's important to be seen as a very serious buyer but indifferent to any option or feature that differentiates or adds to the price. One exception is to mAke sure the boat you want to buy has all the features and options you want...and if it doesn't maybe you can get some added instead of price discount.

Future maintenance or winterization or winter storage or covers or life jackets, skis, boards, sacs, etc could also be add ins in the negotiation.

I love this stuff...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Wow...that's a great deal! Nice looking boat too!

it is a sharp one. they are really trying to get the 14's off their lot. they have an A24 2014 with 7 hours for 65k. amazing how much prices drop in a month

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Great advice. Also remember that time is a valuable commodity for a salesperson. Stop by several times and make them spend an hour or two each time and ask for demonstrations on how stuff works, do a test ride, etc...That gets them emotionally invested and puts your name on the high potential sale board in the back that is used to track potential sales. Negotiate a little each time but DON'T BUY for at least 4 trips. It's not a huge amount of time but it will payoff!

Also if you are considering a leftover '14 I'd have 2-3 low hours '14 or '13 similar boats for price comparison.

It's important to be seen as a very serious buyer but indifferent to any option or feature that differentiates or adds to the price. One exception is to mAke sure the boat you want to buy has all the features and options you want...and if it doesn't maybe you can get some added instead of price discount.

Future maintenance or winterization or winter storage or covers or life jackets, skis, boards, sacs, etc could also be add ins in the negotiation.

I love this stuff...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

^^^this. Never make it an emotional purchase. Don't be afraid to walk, even if you know it's a good deal. It's all a game. Be careful tho, it's a fine line between being a good negotiator and a prick. You will be needing the dealer in the years to come.

  • Like 2
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Boulder Boats has some pretty good prices on demo boats right now as well.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I called them yesterday, they were out test driving. waiting for my call back. The guy that answered, must have been a non sales guy told me the price was 121k for an lsv, i was like, uh..No. That's the made up fairy land price.

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Depends on the options, colors, trailer, etc. So many variables. We have been pricing out LSV's with MSRP values in the $144-$148 range on the average, including freight and prep. Nothing out of the ordinary when you add full stereo's, LS3, racks, etc. If you add metal flake you can bump that number quite a bit.

Peter

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Depends on the options, colors, trailer, etc. So many variables. We have been pricing out LSV's with MSRP values in the $144-$148 range on the average, including freight and prep. Nothing out of the ordinary.

Peter

I think I'm gonna throw up......holy crap that's a lot!

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  • 9 months later...

More on this please.. I was about to pull the trigger on a 2015 vlx until I found out that malibu had already retooled for 2016. I am assuming the changes for 2016 will be minimal... For the vlx anyway... So how much do you think the price will increase this year? And how much will a 2015's price decrease when a 2016 is sitting next to it? The 2015 I was looking at had a 123k msrp, and my dealer was gonna "let it go" for 85k. Does that sound about right? 85k was actually the spring boat show price too. Are boat show prices really not negotiable?

Sorry for all the questions....

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More on this please.. I was about to pull the trigger on a 2015 vlx until I found out that malibu had already retooled for 2016. I am assuming the changes for 2016 will be minimal... For the vlx anyway... So how much do you think the price will increase this year? And how much will a 2015's price decrease when a 2016 is sitting next to it? The 2015 I was looking at had a 123k msrp, and my dealer was gonna "let it go" for 85k. Does that sound about right? 85k was actually the spring boat show price too. Are boat show prices really not negotiable?

Sorry for all the questions....

Options, colors, trailer, motor ? 85k sounds incredible

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More on this please.. I was about to pull the trigger on a 2015 vlx until I found out that malibu had already retooled for 2016. I am assuming the changes for 2016 will be minimal... For the vlx anyway... So how much do you think the price will increase this year? And how much will a 2015's price decrease when a 2016 is sitting next to it? The 2015 I was looking at had a 123k msrp, and my dealer was gonna "let it go" for 85k. Does that sound about right? 85k was actually the spring boat show price too. Are boat show prices really not negotiable?

Sorry for all the questions....

That is about what I paid for 23LSV. I feel like it was a great deal.

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I love all this open numbers discussion. I saw a '13 VLX with every option box checked that went for $75k in my area at the end of the 2013 season. $85k for a '15 sounds like something you should really consider.

Would be nice if it was loaded... but if it has what you need, well, who needs to retire anyway?

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