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Request for Advice on Purchasing New Boat


BillS

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Looking for any an all tips when it comes to purchasing a new boat. While both my father and grandfather owned boats, this will be my first purchase. I have two boys and have decided we would all have a great time on the Axis line of boats 2015 models either T22 or A22, most likely the A22 as I was originally looking for large deck bow riders before deciding on going with a surf/wake boarding boat. The remaining 2015's appear to be going fast. I'm assuming there will not be much wiggle room on MSRP, but still would like to know about how bad I'm getting hammered over dealer invoice. Any advice in negotiating tactics would be greatly appreciated. For instance, Is it customary to ask for dealer invoice? Soon to be an Axis boat owner, Bill

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Good luck on the search. I'd say you should be able to score a pretty good deal on a leftover 15 as dealers are ordering 16's now. I didn't think about asking for dealer invoice when ordering mine this past winter but did negotiate back and forth along with researching used pricing and other forums for additional info on what people 'paid'. We love our T22.

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I do not think boat dealerships are in the habit of sharing their invoices. I know that mine does not and will not. They are not like car dealerships that make high margin $ by high volume (high number of sales), and hence are willing to show customers what they paid from the factory. You can still find great deals. Just don't expect to pay X% over invoice. I bought my 2014 A22 June of this year. Probably a bit of luck, but if you look around you can find some good deals.

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I am interested in knowing this stuff as well. I'm not buying a new boat any time soon, but I'm curious as to how its handled. Without this forum, I would have no idea what I'm getting into as far as options and specs and how they operate in the real world as well as what to look for.

Example: What are the options in a new boat for each model and the typical cost of said options? What about base boat price? Availability? etc. Malibu's website has virtually no information other than the basic propaganda as to available options if you order their catalog.

And as someone who literally bought a new car yesterday, I hate to think that the answer for all of the above is "Visit your local dealer for details" because if the reps are anything like Ford reps, you better start researching, since they will know less than you! Not only that but you'll have no know what the boat should cost, but thankfully there are sites like BoatTrader for that. Oh wait, I lied. I just checked BoatTrader and every single 2015 Axis T22 says "Call for Price"

Another example: Oh I'll just check out my local dealer's website for a new Axis T22. I get a basic idea what the options are on this boat, but literally have no idea what the base price would even be. I also don't know the size of the boat, weight, etc etc in case I was planning to upgrade and keep my lift. If they are anything like buying a car, this could take a while... too much calling and having salesmen ask you "Well before we get to the boat, what sort of payment are you looking to make?" Also as far as price I imagine it fluctuates based on their inventory, how long a boat has been there, what time of the year, etc. much more than a car but I have no idea. I'm not sure if it fluctuates 2% of the price or 20% of the price, but it feels like everyone who buys new is pretty tight-lipped about it which I don't necessarily blame them because I imagine it helps them sell it after a year for a higher price. **disclaimer - I'm not sure if any of this last paragraph is true. I'm pulling this all out of my ***

Anyone care to share their experiences?? I probably should of searched the forums first...

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Unrelated side note - Is there anyone in the Port Canaveral area with boat buying experience who can check this beast out for me?

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1992-Cruise-Ship-Cruise-Vessel-102096957

I think it could be a pretty sweet party pad and probably throws a sweet surf wake. I'm guessing we could keep a few Bu's on it if some people wanted to split it...

  • Like 2
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I am interested in knowing this stuff as well. I'm not buying a new boat any time soon, but I'm curious as to how its handled. Without this forum, I would have no idea what I'm getting into as far as options and specs and how they operate in the real world as well as what to look for.

Example: What are the options in a new boat for each model and the typical cost of said options? What about base boat price? Availability? etc. Malibu's website has virtually no information other than the basic propaganda as to available options if you order their catalog.

And as someone who literally bought a new car yesterday, I hate to think that the answer for all of the above is "Visit your local dealer for details" because if the reps are anything like Ford reps, you better start researching, since they will know less than you! Not only that but you'll have no know what the boat should cost, but thankfully there are sites like BoatTrader for that. Oh wait, I lied. I just checked BoatTrader and every single 2015 Axis T22 says "Call for Price"

Another example: Oh I'll just check out my local dealer's website for a new Axis T22. I get a basic idea what the options are on this boat, but literally have no idea what the base price would even be. I also don't know the size of the boat, weight, etc etc in case I was planning to upgrade and keep my lift. If they are anything like buying a car, this could take a while... too much calling and having salesmen ask you "Well before we get to the boat, what sort of payment are you looking to make?" Also as far as price I imagine it fluctuates based on their inventory, how long a boat has been there, what time of the year, etc. much more than a car but I have no idea. I'm not sure if it fluctuates 2% of the price or 20% of the price, but it feels like everyone who buys new is pretty tight-lipped about it which I don't necessarily blame them because I imagine it helps them sell it after a year for a higher price. **disclaimer - I'm not sure if any of this last paragraph is true. I'm pulling this all out of my ***

Anyone care to share their experiences?? I probably should of searched the forums first...

First about "Call for price" Almost every current year boat on any dealers website (most are linked to BoatTrader) will have that. Anything prior year they generally will have a price. Easy enough to either make a call or go down and spend some time at your local dealer and see what the prices and options are for their inventory. I happen to live 15 minutes away from my dealer, so for me it was not a big deal. I know others have a bit more of a drive. Second, Axis and Malibu dealers generally will not sell a boat to someone outside of their sales territory, unless you have a personal friend at that boat dealership. Then they would make a call to "your" dealer and tell them that they are going to sell a boat to you because x, y, and z. Now that of course does not prevent you from calling dealerships and getting prices so you can compare. For me, my dealer had a 2014 A22 tucked away waiting to be sold. I looked for 2014's in the surrounding area, and even when I was in St. Louis (I live in Nor Cal) visiting family. The deal I was getting from my dealer was very very fair, plus I had demo'd the A22 the year before, so it made my choice easy. My sales person knew that I was going to put the exact sound system and PnP sacks that their demo boat had. Bottom line - dealer made money (on the boat, plus the extra money I spent having them do the stereo and PnP), I got a sweet boat for what I consider a good deal. It took me a month of researching before pulling the trigger, so don't think you can do this in a weekend. Well you could, but that isn't how I roll............ Just my $.02

  • Like 2
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Unrelated side note - Is there anyone in the Port Canaveral area with boat buying experience who can check this beast out for me?

http://www.boattrader.com/listing/1992-Cruise-Ship-Cruise-Vessel-102096957

I think it could be a pretty sweet party pad and probably throws a sweet surf wake. I'm guessing we could keep a few Bu's on it if some people wanted to split it...

I Believe that boat use to be called the BIG RED BOAT and Disney used it for a few years while they were getting their own cruise lines set up. I was on that boat in 98 and it was a POS. Can only guess what it is like now!!

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With these tow boats it all about % off msrp.

What is the msrp?

I believe the msrp is around 60K for the T22 and 63K for the A22. Both 2015 boats appear fairly baseline/no extras, no upgrades.

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63K is most likely the sell price for an A22. My 15 A22 had a MSRP around $78K with a pretty good list of options but base motor. You can expect around 15% as a very good deal off MSRP with Axis. I have found that once dealers start getting busy with winterizations, this is when they start really slashing prices. Especially on a boat like the A20 where the dealer has a 2015 on the lot and they are redesigned for 2016. A lot of deals are done this time of year. It will also start picking up on 2015 boats that people put 20 hours on this summer and want to order a new one in the spring.

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Thanks, all. I feel that I've been treated well with pricing, appear to be getting end of season pricing already, but may have missed out on the more loaded/styled boats that I should have pulled the trigger on. So I may keep looking around, there appear to be some deals popping up. I think I have a feel for what I can negotiate, but need to have my ducks in a row next time and be ready to move. Primarily, have parental/I mean marital consent. :whistle:

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