93-96 180-210 Open bow
 

Looking for a used Mariah in Missouri. I have a 2015 Toyota Highlander so nothing too big. Was leaning toward the 4.3 but my boat guy says anything smaller than a V8 isn't worth the hull. Mainly it will be used as a family boat and stored inside my garage. Thanks for looking and feel free to PM me if anything pops up.

Re: 93-96 180-210 Open bow
 

Try searchtempest.com

Lots of things pop up daily.

There is nothing bad about a 4.3. On an 18' boat they have ample power and sip fuel compared to a 5.0 or 5.7. All just depends where you want to be I suppose.

Re: 93-96 180-210 Open bow
 

I'd find another 'boat guy' ..... As Moto suggests, that 4.3 does just fine on 180's and 190's. I assume you have the 5000 lb tow capacity on that Highlander so anything 20' and under should be fine.

Re: 93-96 180-210 Open bow
 

So Im leaning toward this.

1993 Mariah Barchetta with matching 1993 Heritage trailer
4.3LX/V6 Mercruiser with Alpha One Drive
19’x8’
8 person capacity
332 total hours
Minor tears in upholstery
2 brand new trailer tires
2 covers- tonneau covers and a road cover
Always been stored inside very well taken care of boat
$9,000 or best offer


Out of all the Mariahs you guys have seen sold is he on the mark on asking price? 90% of the dealers around me are saying new boats aee ordered out till July! Is this post Covid apocalypse causing everything to go up?

Re: 93-96 180-210 Open bow
 

First off, i would suggest that you read this on 'Buying a Used Mariah': http://www.mariahownersclub.com/foru...ed-mariah.html

In my opinion the price is a tad high but I've heard those comments from my local boat dealer here in Canada too. Used prices are a bit on the high side because demand is up a bit due to our inability to travel at the moment and yes, all brought on by the Covid situation. And.... its that time of year when boats command their highest prices.

Re: 93-96 180-210 Open bow
 

X2 on the used mariah buying read. There are so many factors to what makes a boat a good boat versus a pit. Low hours does not always equal a solid running boat either. Always request a sea trial. Tow it if you can. I got stuck driving 900 miles home with a tandem axle with zero brakes after buying a boat with 330 hours. The redeeming factor was the outdrive needed rebuilt so price was negotiable.
Lowballing a seller has never worked well for me unless I had something to negotiate the price down. In your case the minor upholstery repairs. Upholstery is not cheap. Start there and see if the bellows need replaced as they dry out. Battery condition? All those items add up to maybe lowering that 9,000 asking price to something more reasonable( not that the 9k is bad, seller had to start somewhere).
I hate to put this out there but boats, rvs, atvs, etc are all selling quickly and above the prices they should be and here we are at the beginning of boating season. It would suck to lose out on a decent boat over trying to chip a few hundred off the asking price. On that same note it would suck being the schmuck that pays full asking price only to be stuck in a boat needing major repairs to be enjoyed for the summer.

Re: 93-96 180-210 Open bow
 

:) I think I'm the boat guy in this case.

I've owned a bunch of 4.3 powered trucks and it's a great boat engine as well!

But coming from that last boat MR2NR took my family out on, and what he's wanting to spend.... I'd figure out how to fit a V8 boat into the equation.

Re: 93-96 180-210 Open bow
 

If the OP has the budget and the tow capacity on that Highlander then i would suggest looking for a Mariah Z202 with the 5.7L and that will give you all the performance you could reasonably want. It was a popular Mariah model that was well built and it handled very well in the water. The one thing i would always consider adding to a Mariah is a set of Smart Tabs but that's a fairly straight forward DIY job.

Re: 93-96 180-210 Open bow
 

Well I bit the bullet and got the smaller Barchetta I just didn't want to try and tow a larger boat everywhere and its my first sole boat owner ship. I can never find the deals fast enough :( and when you go to the dealers around here and they tell you if you had a million dollars you still couldn't get a new boat this season it kinda dashes your hopes on finding anything cheap lol. The boat was pretty solid but did have a few flaws I'm going to fix. Started right up in 40 degree weather and rode great on the 300 mile drive home. Thanks for all the advice. Especially from my "Boat Guy" :)

Re: 93-96 180-210 Open bow
 

You be quiet Tim Allen!!!