I am not looking old because I already have a perfectly good 1997 ski
boat. It runs great, looks pretty good, although after 8 years it's got
a few cosmetic issues. This new boat, the 225 has a totally different
seating arrangement then I have seen in any other boat and it would
suit my usage needs perfectly.

I put a offer in, they said no. Then I found a used 2004 but the guy
wants his loan payoff amount which is 28K. The local dealer has several
2004's left that they are "sales" price selling at 27K with a 1K cash
back reward from bayliner. The 2005 model "sales" price is 28K.

So right now I am basiccly hopeing my signifigant other let's me buy
the 2004.. it's freaking perfect.. but it's that one or nothing. Worst
case scenario is I use my boat for another season... not a big issue
really


JimH wrote:
wrote in message
oups.com...
What's your ownership style?

If you are a frequent trader who will be looking for another boat
within a couple of years, you will indeed
take a good whack from depreciation when you trade up. Maybe
20-30%,
and could be more. That makes a new boat very expensive on an "avg
cost
per month of ownership basis".

However, if you plan to hang onto the boat for many years
depreciation
needn't be such a critical concern.
Starting with a new boat allows you to avoid wondering what dirty
little secrets the previous owner
glossed over or concealed, and you will know from day one exactly
what
type of maintenance the boat receives. Once you iron out the few
almost
inevitable
new boat warranty bugs, you can expect perhaps a few years or so of
a
blissful time where almost everything is almost always working.
That's
about as good as it gets in the real world for most boats.

Owning a boat makes no economic sense whatsoever, whether it is new
or
used, unless you somehow use to to earn a living.

If this Bayliner 225 is really the boat of your dreams and there is
nothing similar available used, I'd personally advise against
buying a
used boat that you don't like nearly as well simply because it is
already partially worn-out (and depreciated).

Then there's the SO factor. The "Significant Other". Very
important.
When we bought our present boat in the early 90's, we made the
choice
we did because it was among the top 3 prospects on my list (1st,
2nd,
and 3rd place seemed to vary depending on daily mood and it was a
close
contest), but it was clearly NUMERO UNO with the wife. Happy wife
makes a happy boat. After all these years I'm still very pleased
with
our boat and have saved more than we paid for it by not
repurchasing
another boat every 2-3 years like so many people seem to do. Turns
out
my wife was pretty smart about picking boats- (too bad about her
luck
with husbands!)

It may make less economic sense to buy new than used, but in a
transaction where "economic sense" is never a factor under any
circumstance, who cares?


Sound advice. I however would never buy new. Let the buyer of the
new boat
work out the kinks for the first couple of years and take the
depreciation
hit.

But why not consider a boat 5-15 years old? A much better value
overall.
The money saved can be used to upgrade the cabin amenities, canvas
and
electronics.....and possibly add on reverse cycle A/C and a generator
if it
did not come with that..

Regardless of what you purchase get the boat surveyed (structural and

mechanical) by a reputable surveyor of your choosing. If older than
3 or so
years hire a mechanic to do a compression check on the engine(s)
cylinders.

Also pay careful attention to maintenance records if you buy used.

Good luck and let us know what you purchased.