[John Miller]

Wow, I have come to the conclusion that I sold my boat way way to cheap. I have a couple of boats spotted that I would love to have, but the asking price on both is about 4 k over what I can come up with them being worth on NADA. Is there a secret Mariah value book out there that I dont know about?
One just showed up on Craigslist here in Wichita that is a 2000 Shabah 212, Looks to be in excellent condition with low hours. Asking price is 17500.00. I can only come up with about 13500.00 according to NADA. Am I missing something?
The other is on the for sale section here. I believe its a 99 Shabah 212 with an asking price of 16900.00. This boat has over 500 hours on it.
I sold my 97 z210 limited last year with about 170 hours for 12k and thought at the time I made out pretty good. It makes me sick that its gone, and sick to think about what I might have to spend to replace it.

[csterner]

Hey John,

I am sure you already know this, but boat owners are a funny breed. I have purchased 5 boats in the past. In my experience, people who really take care of their boat and have put alot of money into it will ask more than NADA because it is worth it. NADA is really truly a value for the banks on what they will lend on a boat. So you will find alot of boats that are "overpriced" according to NADA. And usually the owners don't care because they are not in a hurry to sell. Also, it is a really bad boat market right now as well since it is really hard to get financing for credit challenged people. I just purchased our 2001 Z275 for $12,000. According to NADA(and my bank which loved to finance this boat!), it was a hell of a deal. But I knew that I would have to replace the engine within a year and I need new switches, and some other small cosmetic issues. The seller wanted a fast sell and I was happy to get into a small project boat.At the same time, there was another Z275 for sale in fantastic shape and only 100 hours for like $23,000. Long story short...don't get caught up in the values. The only time it can hurt you is if you are gonna finance your boat. Then the NADA value matters, because the bank will only finance a certain percentage of that NADA number. So you can use NADA as a bargaining tool to negotiate a seller to come down if your bank won't finance it. If you are a cash buyer, then you have the fast close bargaining tool to use. Remember, Mariahs were "overloaded" with options as compared to other boats. Even Sea Ray was no where near Mariah in 2001! Just the attention to all the little details, the layout of the boats, etc.
Sorry for such an obnoxiously long reply!

[John Miller]

Thanks for the reply Chris, I just hate to pay over book value for anything. I would be will to go maybe a grand over, but anythiing more than that I just wouldnt feel comfortable with. I am a cash buyer when it comes to boats, it burns me up to be making boat payments in the winter time when I cant use them. I am sure the right deal will come along, My goal is to have another boat by the beginning of next boating season so I have plenty of time to look.

[rajjneef]

Well it is peak buying time for boats so expect to pay top dollar right now. With that said most owners think theirs is worth more than everyone elses. Use NADA as a guide and if the seller wont budge, move on.

[ShabahZ280]

Best time to buy is towards the end of the season. By then, most people are starting to get things figured out for winter storage, and don't want to pay the extra $$ to store their boat over the winter if they're trying to sell it, so they're more willing to negotiate. Or you can purchase in the winter, during the complete off season. That's what I did!

[darkcalling]

Your in the perfect position when you said no rush, you have all the time to find the right deal for you if your not comfortable don't do it. I got mine it has a few extra hours on it imo but she has all the bells and whistles we wanted a few little things and over time I will fix them all. Wait them out unless a great deal comes along and play hard ball the whole time. I got mine down 7500 from asking price. Good luck shopping.

[mikeyt]

Originally Posted by csterner

Hey John, I am sure you already know this, but boat owners are a funny breed

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[John Miller]

Yeah, my boat owning buddy friend just sent me a text with pics of my old 97. He is out at the lake setting up his camping spot and the people I sold to just parked next to him. He knows how much I miss that boat and thought it woulld be real funny to rub it in with pics from all angles. Funny stuff!

[Zackattack]

Its always nice to have friends who know how to rub salt in the wounds!

[csterner]

Originally Posted by John Miller

Yeah, my boat owning buddy friend just sent me a text with pics of my old 97. He is out at the lake setting up his camping spot and the people I sold to just parked next to him. He knows how much I miss that boat and thought it woulld be real funny to rub it in with pics from all angles. Funny stuff!

You should have asked him if the boat started to leak oil in the bilge from the crack in the block that you fixed with silicone! Then tell him you will gladly buy it back!!