Jasper Windvane wrote:
[snip]

my limited experience so far has been that boats have to be one of the
easiest things in the world to get a good deal on. they don't serve a
useful function except for recreation, they depreciate extremely fast,
they cost their owners money every day they sit unused, they
deteriorate fast, they're the first "desperation asset" someone wants
to sell when their financial circumstances change (or they divorce),
etc, etc. my feeling about boat buying so far is that if you can't get
a good deal on a boat then you aren't likely to get a good deal on
anything. in a lot of ways it seems like buying a boat is best viewed
as an act of mercy, and i'm confident that upon closing a deal on a
used boat the seller's thanks would be most heartfelt and genuine, i'm
sure they walk away thinking "thank god that's over with". like they
say, it's a hole in the water into which you toss money ... and they
also say that once you've paid for the boat it's when the costs START,
not when they end. few things cost like a boat that isn't being used
.... insurance, storage, maintenance, security, etc, etc ... it's just
sitting out there, costing money, every day, non stop, and until you
can get rid of it the costs never end, and the value keeps falling,
rapidly, and there are a nearly infinite number of other owners that
are fighting to sell too. it's not like a house you can rent, or a car
you can drive to work ... it's just sitting there, useless, in the sun,
costing money. i think you'd have to have nerves of the strongest
steel to stand in front of a potential buyer and haggle when selling a
boat, to keep a straight face during the sale instead of dropping to
your knees begging them to cut your losses and give you some money to
walk away with. as a buyer using the typical "buyer's tricks" like
pretending you aren't that interested, etc, seems unnecessarily cruel
given the seller's position. only a really sadistic person would
torture the seller of a boat like that ... the same kind of person who
kicks at dogs, makes fun of handicapped people, and taunts democrats
with election losses.