Would I be getting a good deal?

[minshall40]

Hi all. First post and am just looking for some help and suggestions. I'm 21 years old and have wanted to own an inboard since about 16 and since then I've just saved and saved. I always tell myself next year, next year, but i think i may have found a boat to make it THIS year. I essentially want to know if I'm getting a good deal or not, i want to use the boat primarily for surf i plan on adding some sacks obviously to make a better wave. Id assume probably 70-30 surf to wakeboard ratio. I went and looked at the boat Saturday and have an arrangement for a water test tomorrow. This boat is perfect in my price range because i have half to put down and then finance the second half through my local credit union. The overall appearance of the boat was not terrible it did have a couple of dings in the gel coat and all of the shocks in the boat for the hatches and glove box need replaced. the boat has 600 hours on it the teak swim deck needs refinished as it seems like he used a home outdoor varnish on it. the boat also was a little dirt inside and looks like it may have been since atleast last year since its been in the water. Also all of the cushions look like they have the potential to look nice, they look almost as if they are just dirty but 2 of the corner cushions had been replaced but were replaced with a white vinyl versus the OEM grey so to me it looks a little goofy. The owner seems like a nice guy, he said he's selling because his kids are grown and out of the house so no longer have a need for it. It does need a little bit of TLC but i feel like this boat can look pretty good after spending an afternoon or two deep cleaning and polishing and fixing a few minor things. please let me know what you think ASAP. thanks in advance for the help http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/boa/4984072101.html

[jb 156]

Looks to be right in line with pricing on a VLX of that vintage. I would try to negotiate him down since some things need to be fixed / cleaned, and some things are fixed incorrectly.

[Ndawg12]

Easy for me to say, I have a boat and unfortunately much older than you, but I'd wait another few years. If wakesurfing is your focus then this boat will be ok but not great, never will be. With the stated condition it doesn't really sound like that great of a deal. Someone on here just picked up an 04 LSV for around the same price in much better shape and will surf much much better than that boat. Good luck and stay patient!!

[minshall40]

Thanks for the quick responses! Another question is, I don't plan on owning this boat forever maybe a year or two until i can get something a bit newer. my concern is getting my money back out of it. How do you think this fare again depreciation? i plan on keeping a lot better care of it then the previous owner. forgot to mention he is only the second owner with the first being his next door neighbor. He also said that it has only left him stranded on the lake one time. he said other than that its always been great. As for waiting I'm sure i can do that, its extremely hard, especially living in Arizona, all i want to do is be on the water... I'm not in a rush to just buy any boat I look every day to see new posts, but this just seemed to fit all of my current needs.

[shawndoggy]

It will never be a great surf boat. Like Ndawg, we tried and tried with that hull. It can be "OK" with some extra weight. You need to use a lot of weight to get it good, and then you'll need to be a very attentive driver because the boat will be LOW and susceptible to taking water if you aren't careful.

Wakeboard wake is great on that boat without a lot of weight. It's also very fuel efficient (for a boat).

[ibelonginprison]

If you can get that price down closer to $20k, then I say go for it. You're going to learn A LOT with your first boat. Might as well start that learning process now.

You can always put some sweat equity into it this year, get the smaller things fixed, then sell it next year for probably what you have in it - and then you've been on the water for a year and have a good idea on what features you need, and what features you could go without, for your next boat. Such as a better surf wake etc.

That's just me though.

My one piece of advice is DO NOT over-extend yourself on a payment just to get out on the water. It's not worth the heartache and headache of being "boat broke" and you can either hit the lake this weekend....... or buy groceries... but not both. lol

[joshuadale07]

The little things add up very quick money wise. Go over everything. Check the exhaust manifolds for rust. Make sure everything works on the dash, gauges, bilge pump, blower, etc. it's not a bad price but I would talk them down by adding you still have to buy sacs to use the boat the way you want. If that boat was loaded out with a good sound system and fully automated ballast and you wouldn't put a dollar into it, it would be a great price, but add up what it's gonna cost you to add what you want and realize that's what your paying.

[sidekicknicholas]

FWIW -

I just bought (like today) an 04' Wakesetter LSV - 100% loaded except perfect pass - 300 hours on the Hammerhead engine - I paid $24k for it... and it was in great shape.

Wisconsin market is probably for different than Phx though.

[Stevo]

If you can get that price down closer to $20k, then I say go for it. You're going to learn A LOT with your first boat. Might as well start that learning process now.

My one piece of advice is DO NOT over-extend yourself on a payment just to get out on the water. It's not worth the heartache and headache of being "boat broke" and you can either hit the lake this weekend....... or buy groceries... but not both. lol

The little things add up very quick money wise. Go over everything. Check the exhaust manifolds for rust. Make sure everything works on the dash, gauges, bilge pump, blower, etc. it's not a bad price but I would talk them down by adding you still have to buy sacs to use the boat the way you want. If that boat was loaded out with a good sound system and fully automated ballast and you wouldn't put a dollar into it, it would be a great price, but add up what it's gonna cost you to add what you want and realize that's what your paying.

I sold my 01VLX FOR $24 Last July and it didn't have any of the cosmetic concerns you mentioned and half the hours (320)

Granted your AZ season starts earlier than most so its probably priced for someone who wants to get out on the water now.

Try and work that price as close to the $20k mark. Also remember not to get emotionally attached, there are plenty of boats out there.

[braindamage]

I'd wait. There will be more boats.

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[shawndoggy]

you guys are tough. This is not a terrible deal for the time of year IMHO. Will there be a "better" deal out there in the next 12 months? Probably. Will it be local to you? Maybe. Will you lose a big part of this season on the water waiting for the next deal? Probably.

If you buy this boat with the understanding that you can probably always get $20K out of it, and maybe what you paid, I think you'd be smart. The deal isn't terrible and I'd say there's a decent chance you'd break even on resale (depending what time of year you sell). It's not a crazy great deal by any means, but it's not terrible either.

[minshall40]

I really appreciate all of the feed back from everyone... I do also think that the boat is a inflated but like others said the Arizona market especially the greater PHX area is incredibly high from what i have noticed others paying for similar boats. my concern is really just depreciation in the coming year or two. I am not too concerned with the couple of gel coat knicks but there is equity in the boat not being pristine condition as he cannot get much more out of it. but as long as it CAN surf decent obviously not great but i will be content after buying a sac or two and a pump. I'm taking the lake test tomorrow and if everything goes perfect the MOST i would be willing to pay would be 23k I'm really hoping he would take 22k i think that is more than fair price, and if he wanted to meet in the middle at 22,500 I would be happy with my deal.

[jonredcorn]

FWIW -

I just bought (like today) an 04' Wakesetter LSV - 100% loaded except perfect pass - 300 hours on the Hammerhead engine - I paid $24k for it... and it was in great shape.

Wisconsin market is probably for different than Phx though.

Uhhhh you pretty much got the deal of the century! I have never seen anything like that in Minnesota before.

[ibelonginprison]

I really appreciate all of the feed back from everyone... I do also think that the boat is a inflated but like others said the Arizona market especially the greater PHX area is incredibly high from what i have noticed others paying for similar boats. my concern is really just depreciation in the coming year or two. I am not too concerned with the couple of gel coat knicks but there is equity in the boat not being pristine condition as he cannot get much more out of it. but as long as it CAN surf decent obviously not great but i will be content after buying a sac or two and a pump. I'm taking the lake test tomorrow and if everything goes perfect the MOST i would be willing to pay would be 23k I'm really hoping he would take 22k i think that is more than fair price, and if he wanted to meet in the middle at 22,500 I would be happy with my deal.

If you drive away from the deal, hauling YOUR boat to the water, with a huge smile on your face - I wouldn't ever discourage you from it.

Plus, you can be on the water for the season. That's worth a lot right there!

[WakingMeHappy]

My compliments for saving that much at your age. That is really awesome. Now go and lowball an offer and save even more.

[TexasTexas95]

What can you afford monthly? What's your down payment? What could you still afford even if you lost your steady job? I know some people don't like to do it but I financed mine for 15 years with a decent down payment. My boat is dirt cheap if I lost my job, I could pay for it and still buy groceries and all I need if SHTF. I lay down extra every month on the principal to knock the debt down quicker. At a certain point I'll stop doing it when I feel like I have decent equity in the boat. Then I'll most likely sell it or trade it for something newer. My bank required the boat to be less than 10 years old before they would finance me for that length of a term however. You are close to getting in the range of a 2005 VLX especially if you put $10,000 down cash. You could probably find a nice one with low hours and finance less than $20,000 for the right boat you (need) with super low payments if you wanted to finance for a long term. Then sell it in a few years for what you got it for or possibly more of you find the right deal. It will cost a little more right now but be worth more later if you treat it right. Deals can be had right now but are more common in the fall/ winter but it doesn't mean you won't find one. I found mine in Late May of last year and feel like I got a steal in it. It was a fully loaded mint 05 VLX with less than 200 hours on it. I won't say what I paid for it cause I might sell it to someone here next year

[minshall40]

i appreciate the compliments! i have an 03 F150 super crew 4x4 also paid for but a large part of the reason is I'm still living at home going to school. Another question... has anyone ever lowballed or been lowballed 20% like that? id be almost embarrassed starting at 20k. Is that a good strategy or should I throw out closer to what id be willing to pay?

[minshall40]

Well i have similar thinking if i were to pay my max on that boat at 23k and put down 10k so i still have a couple in savings for emergency then financed the 13k i was already approved by USAA for a 10 year loan at 4.49 so the payment would be 135 monthly... i plan on paying more when I have it and the minimum when i don't. i don't plan on keeping the boat even half the loan term, i just want low easy affordable monthly payments that i ALSO could afford for a few months until i could sell if i lost my job.

[jgates237]

Getting 85-90% of the asking price is about right when you've listed something so asking starting at 80% ($20K) isn't out of line. Just think off the money you'll save if he takes that offer!

Also check to see what it has for a prop. If you plan to do a lot of surfing and it's under-propped then there's a quick ~$450. If this boat is really not that good of a surfer as others have said it isn't and you plan to load her up then chances are you'll need the right prop get her moving...

Welcome to TMC! We're here to help...and offer constructive criticism.

[Pnwrider]

Someone will always get a better deal than you. If you want to mostly surf with a little bit of wakeboarding I would either save more or look at other brands.

[shawndoggy]

At mid 20s pricepoint nothing is going to surf better than a centurion avalanche.

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/boa/4978325617.html

[jonredcorn]

At mid 20s pricepoint nothing is going to surf better than a centurion avalanche.

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/boa/4978325617.html

s*** it even has a shocker sticker ALREADY on the side so you won't even need to put one there! Great find!

[ibelonginprison]

At mid 20s pricepoint nothing is going to surf better than a centurion avalanche.

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/boa/4978325617.html

30 hours.... I bet every seal on that thing is dry-rotted and cracking. lol

[braindamage]

You aren't going to lose equity in a couple of years unless you let it get trashed.

It all depends on how fast you want to get on the water. I would also say that broadening the range to a wider geography and model boat is a good thing. If nothing else it gives you negotiating leverage

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[Asmodeus2112]

s*** it even has a shocker sticker ALREADY on the side so you won't even need to put one there! Great find!

"Pink in hand...."