boat purchase

Has anyone purchased a boat recently? In the past dealers used to negotiate the sale price a little do they still have wiggle room or is it prettty much what you see is what you get

Biggest mistake most people make is not going hours away from their home to get a deal. Just because you buy it there doesn't mean you have to do service work there. Local shop isn't going to care where you bought it. They are getting paid by the company regardless.

Actually, I went to Don's Marine in Lodi. Had a couple people tell me they had bad experiences but for buying brand new I thought I would be ok. They treated me well and I had to have some warranty work done on the throttle linkage that was my fault. They fixed it no questions asked and even looked everything over and found something else and fixed that too. I'll be going back when I buy my next boat. 

Did you drive to Random Lake?

Decide exactly what you want from the model of boat to electronics to the cup holders. Then, call every dealer in the region and ask for an out the door price quote. Don't have little details out. Think about the brand of batteries, prop on the motor, length and brand of rod holders, trailer brand... ect. Check out customer reviews but be cognizant of what people say and how they word things. You'll find there are people out there that will complain about all kinds of things but you'll be able to tell from their lack of terminology and wording that some people have no business buying a 70,000 dollar boat to begin with. 

When I bought my brand new Alumacraft I literally called EVERY dealer in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and northern Illinois. I was between a Mercury and the Evinrude G2. I had a local dealer quote me 38 grand plus rigging and after getting quotes I settled on the exact same boat, same year, same engine, and same accessories for 32 grand out the door and only drove 2 hours to pick it up. Do your homework and if you can, wait until at least July. The prices will be considerably lower then instead of buying the same boat in March. 

The best way is to attend a boat shows. I will have general ideas/prices what to look for.

Some of the boat shows will give you a good deal!

If you want darn near the best possible price and dont mind travelling there is Kens sports up near Little Chute.  Good place and good service. check out their website.

edit Looks like some rock bottom pricing on crestliner boats. and last fall they had steep discounts with polaris ATVs.

Yes they have wiggle room.Especially on holdovers from the year before.My advise talk to as many dealers as possible. Then narrow it down.

I purchased a Fury XL from Hennepins a few years ago, they where great to deal with. There’s some wiggle room with dealers but in my opinion it depends on how badly they need to sell. Right now lots of new boats are being sold so they may not deal as much as they would mid summer or fall. 

Just make sure you compare apples to apples, some dealers will say well yeah I have that boat or what every bit it has this and this and this to justify different pricing

Make sure you watch the fees they charge etc etc. I am currently looking at one boat and got 2 quotes for the same model, equipment,  etc etc. One dealer was a fair price , the other dealer had 3 to 4 different charges for rigging, registration,  and 2 other b.s. charges. Make sure to look over any quotes you receive.  Also the cheapest price is not always the best deal. Service after the sale is huge . 

I think you'll find your wiggle room in the accessories you add...just be aware of mfg deals going on as well such as travel cover, extra seats,  etc... at least that's how I worked my purchases 

I also bought electronics and other misc additions and had installation of these as add ons

I just purchased  a  used lund rebel on consignment at Hennepin marine in hennepin Illinois and got a smokin deal ..boat had 17 hours on it and mint condition saved 9 grand deals are out there all over .But they were nice and not pushy very pleased with transaction.  Best  advice  I have is set a limit on price and then look at multiple  boats. I looked at 10 boats finding them on the web ..... drove from chicago to lodi Wisconsin and to michigan  to look at  boats and found my baby at hennepin..You have a good 3 months to shop before open water fever good luck!!!!

Shop around. Every dealer is different.  Craigslist has some dealers on there that may save you some time.