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$79,995 - The Official 2017 21VLX Thread


NWBU

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There's been a lot of discussion on this boat already in the 2017 thread but my local dealer is advertising the new 21 VLX for $79,995 now, so hopefully the rest of the dealers will follow along. Just saw this post on their FB page with the launch video Malibu just put out.

Timing on this release isn't great since Nautique just made a splash with their 20' launch at GM yesterday, but better late than never I guess.

https://www.facebook.com/activewatersports.boatsales/?fref=ts

 

Edited by NWBU
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I have one question.  So we are all kind of are industry insiders I would say... correct?  Or at least very educated buyers. We follow the trends and know these boats inside and out.  And we agree this vlx is a good deal. 

 

My question: is Joe blow towboat buyer gonna be turned off by the no haggle concept of this rig?  Is he gonna believe it?  I don't follow car/truck trends that much and if went to my local truck dealer and was told the truck I was looking at was the new no frills, no haggle option I would run for the hills.  Is that a risk here?  It's an interesting experiment for sure!

Edited by bamaboy
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7 hours ago, bamaboy said:

I have one question.  So we are all kind of are industry insiders I would say... correct?  Or at least very educated buyers. We follow the trends and know these boats inside and out.  And we agree this vlx is a good deal. 

 

My question: is Joe blow towboat buyer gonna be turned off by the no haggle concept of this rig?  Is he gonna believe it?  I don't follow car/truck trends that much and if went to my local truck dealer and was told the truck I was looking at was the new no frills, no haggle option I would run for the hills.  Is that a risk here?  It's an interesting experiment for sure!

I did notice in the video it says "If you have been thinking about getting your first Malibu" or something along those lines.  

My interpretation (not saying I am right) of this 21 VLX is that it caters to those who experienced sticker shock when they previously looked at a Malibu.  It serves as a gap filler between the Axis and Malibu lines, those who want a 'Bu but can't necessarily afford a more optioned 22VLX or 23LSV but still want the Malibu brand versus the Axis. If I were buying a boat today and had no idea what a Malibu cost, I would certainly believe this is the no frills, no haggle model as long as I had something to compare it to. Show me the fit and finish of the higher end models and then show me the stripped down 21VLX. The dealers have a lot of margin to play with on upgraded options, with this being a very basic build there is not as much wiggle room.

Just my .02

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Would love some advice...My family of 4 (kids 4,7) is new to a lake community and shopping for our first boat. We have been focusing on the 2017 20' VTX working with our local dealer. Wife used to slalom competitively but has been out of it for years so not a massive priority but still a plus to have a decent ski wake. We haven't seen either the 2017 VTX or VLX in person - we drove only a 2016 VTX - but the 21 VLX offer at $79,995 seems too hard to pass up compared to the best price I can get on a comparably optioned 2017 20 VTX by at least $10K. We just ran across this offer, I'm assuming its relatively new. What am I missing? Is this a lower grade of Malibu boat? Dealer is semi-helpful...but not really. He doesn't seem to be aware of this pricing for the VLX yet.

Thanks much for any help to this new boater about to spend a boat load of money.

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sammamish,  haven't seen one in person but from the interior shots I've seen, its kind of an axis with malibu lines and viper II touchscreen.  Not finished out quite the same as the other malibus.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  I've had two axises and they were great.

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39 minutes ago, SammamishMalibu said:

Would love some advice...My family of 4 (kids 4,7) is new to a lake community and shopping for our first boat. We have been focusing on the 2017 20' VTX working with our local dealer. Wife used to slalom competitively but has been out of it for years so not a massive priority but still a plus to have a decent ski wake. We haven't seen either the 2017 VTX or VLX in person - we drove only a 2016 VTX - but the 21 VLX offer at $79,995 seems too hard to pass up compared to the best price I can get on a comparably optioned 2017 20 VTX by at least $10K. We just ran across this offer, I'm assuming its relatively new. What am I missing? Is this a lower grade of Malibu boat? Dealer is semi-helpful...but not really. He doesn't seem to be aware of this pricing for the VLX yet.

Thanks much for any help to this new boater about to spend a boat load of money.

Pm sent. 

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14 minutes ago, 85 Barefoot said:

sammamish,  haven't seen one in person but from the interior shots I've seen, its kind of an axis with malibu lines and viper II touchscreen.  Not finished out quite the same as the other malibus.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  I've had two axises and they were great.

Same vinyl (or upholstery) as the rest of the Malibu line.  A little different configuration from the rest of the line, but a true Malibu.  Also, it is "well equipped" at 79,999, not "starting at"

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21 minutes ago, wakebrdr94 said:

Same vinyl (or upholstery) as the rest of the Malibu line.  A little different configuration from the rest of the line, but a true Malibu.  Also, it is "well equipped" at 79,999, not "starting at"

Bingo... Same exact vinyl as my 23 LSV. 

Im not sure what the 21 VLX weighs, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was similar to the new VTX.  Mix in the 98" beam, Diamond hull and the 21 VLX may be a decent ski machine. 

Here is where you'll see the difference from the rest of the Wakesetter line (posted a few weeks ago)...

 

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I have been off the forum for a while and just learned of this boat while at the dealer the other day. Sounds like the vinyl design is less intricate and less color options which simplifies things a bit and helps keep pricing in check. I find it to be an interesting concept. My sales rep said, just like mentioned above, that it is intended to fill the gap between axis and Malibu. I heard that they were discontinuing the 22 from a less reliable source but my sales rep denied that statement. 

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6 minutes ago, isellacuras said:

I heard that they were discontinuing the 22 from a less reliable source but my sales rep denied that statement. 

While I have no inside knowledge of this, I find this rumor VERY hard to believe. The 22 VLX is Malibu's #2 selling model, and the 21 VLX is hardly a substitute. 

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13 hours ago, wakebrdr94 said:

Same vinyl (or upholstery) as the rest of the Malibu line.  A little different configuration from the rest of the line, but a true Malibu.  Also, it is "well equipped" at 79,999, not "starting at"

I wasnt saying it had different materials, just that it wasn't finished out like the rest of the line. Things like the passenger side glove box area, walk through finishes, etc.

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What is/was the base price for the 21vlx to begin with? 

The no haggle  $80k has me thinking about a new Bu, whereas before I hadn't even considered it...

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5 minutes ago, Chatty21VLX said:

What is/was the base price for the 21vlx to begin with? 

The no haggle  $80k has me thinking about a new Bu, whereas before I hadn't even considered it...

The 2017 21VLX is a new model so there's not a prior price point to compare it to. The old 21VLX was redesigned as the 22VLX in 2015 and runs at a higher price point with more features.

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Well yeah! that would be a rare bird.

12 minutes ago, Chatty21VLX said:

What is/was the base price for the 21vlx to begin with? 

The no haggle  $80k has me thinking about a new Bu, whereas before I hadn't even considered it...

Do you mean the MSRP? I've got a window sticker! :)

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