2020 242S. Is this a good deal?

[Yambers]

Hey all. I am seeking the wisdom of all the boaties that have all the knowledge.

I just put down money to purchase a 2020 242S that was a dealer demo. 63 hours. 1 decent crack that they are repairing, and a full factory warranty. Dealer is asking $65,850.. Pretty firm according to salesman.

Question 1.. Is it a good deal? I feel it is in this current economy.

Question 2.. It is more than a new AR250 that the dealer has. Is the upgraded 242 worth it or would the AR250 be a better bargain?

Question 3.. What are the upgrades from an AR to the S class? Does the S have ballast tanks?

I've never owned a jet boat, and since Indiana winter is here I doubt I will be able to test drive it. I plan on CJ or TV's to aid in the learning curve..

Any other advice other than a thorough inspection, or letting it go so you could purchase it? Lol

 

[traderfjp]

Make sure they aren't calling a rental a demo. Price seems to be a little on the high side. How is the condition of the rest of the boat? Make sure they detail it. I saw a similar deal on Boattrader with 37 hours on engines. I don't like the crack. Go over boat carefully. Check the keel. Was the boat used in salt water or fresh water,

 

[Yambers]

Good point about a demo being a rental, but I dont think they do rentals. Worth asking for sure. All local freshwater, and they are fixing the crack and still full warranty. I've dealt with them for over a year now, as they were helping me look. Im hoping they wouldnt take advantage of me, especially since they stated they had multiples calls on it.

 

[212s]

they stated they had multiples calls on it.

Classic sales technique - pressure you to buy now because the other "multiple calls" will surely call back at any second to buy it. If it was that hot of a deal, it would already be sold.

Having said that, it might be a good deal...do your research and go over it very carefully. If wakesports is your thing, it might be great. But if not, the AR250 might be better suited. You need to figure out what works for YOU.

 

[Yambers]

I tend to believe my salesman. He gave me first dibs since I have been hounding him for over a year, and has sent me several others I had passed on. Lol.. But I had the same thought. Thanks for the input.

I just don't want to feel like I am being taken. I don't believe I am. The market is competitive, boats are a dime a dozen, and people are already pre-ordering 2022's..

 

[captras]

What kind of crack (spider or impact), how deep, and what caused it? 63 hrs seems high for a demo boat. I would t try to get them to throw in the 100 hr service.

 

[tkeru408]

Hey all. I am seeking the wisdom of all the boaties that have all the knowledge.

I just put down money to purchase a 2020 242S that was a dealer demo. 63 hours. 1 decent crack that they are repairing, and a full factory warranty. Dealer is asking $65,850.. Pretty firm according to salesman.

Question 1.. Is it a good deal? I feel it is in this current economy.

Question 2.. It is more than a new AR250 that the dealer has. Is the upgraded 242 worth it or would the AR250 be a better bargain?

Question 3.. What are the upgrades from an AR to the S class? Does the S have ballast tanks?

I've never owned a jet boat, and since Indiana winter is here I doubt I will be able to test drive it. I plan on CJ or TV's to aid in the learning curve..

Any other advice other than a thorough inspection, or letting it go so you could purchase it? Lol

I don't think it's a bad deal in today's market. Is the full factory warranty just the one year of full coverage warranty? You could see if they'll throw in an extended warranty to four or five years total. I also like captras idea above about seeing if they'll throw in the 100 hour service free.

No, the S models don't have ballast tanks, only the X models have those. X models are the wake boats. There are tons of upgrades from an AR to an S model, which is why the price jump is so big (something like $12 to $14K, depending on year).

As for which one is the better bargain between a 2021 AR250 and a 2020 242S, that's a tough call. If the dealer wants full MSRP plus freight/prep for the AR250 then the 242S is probably the better bargain. The AR250 has the new hull design whereas the 242 has the old hull design, which will be looked at as the "outdated" hull design within a few years. That being said, the 2020 242S still has lots of upgrades on it that even a brand new AR250 won't have.

 

[djetok]

Hey all. I am seeking the wisdom of all the boaties that have all the knowledge.

I just put down money to purchase a 2020 242S that was a dealer demo. 63 hours. 1 decent crack that they are repairing, and a full factory warranty. Dealer is asking $65,850.. Pretty firm according to salesman.

Question 1.. Is it a good deal? I feel it is in this current economy.

Question 2.. It is more than a new AR250 that the dealer has. Is the upgraded 242 worth it or would the AR250 be a better bargain?

Question 3.. What are the upgrades from an AR to the S class? Does the S have ballast tanks? they are the same @Julian has the 242 so he would be a good resource for the comparison , except of course the e series (electric throttles.)

I've never owned a jet boat, and since Indiana winter is here I doubt I will be able to test drive it. I plan on CJ or TV's to aid in the learning curve..

Any other advice other than a thorough inspection, or letting it go so you could purchase it? Lol

edited @tkeru408 is correct. I blame lack of sleep.

 

[tkeru408]

For clarification to the above post, the S does not have the biggest bimini with the fixed frame...that's the SE.

 

[Yambers]

@captras I am not sure about the crack yet. Going to go this weekend and get my hands on it for a thorough look. Regardless, they say they will fix it to factory new condition.

@tkeru408 They stated full factory warranty. I am definitely gonna get as much free stuff as I can. might be a lot, might be nothing. I am not a huge fan of the new 25 footers. I like the older styling. I have also been comparison shopping, and I see some for more, and I see some for less. it is going to end up being a gut call.

I still have a ton of questions for them once I get to the dealer and actually see it. My only real concern is passing on it, then being boatless for year #3 since we started looking. I think the wife and kids would lynch me.. And if I do get it, then I get a new tow vehicle as well. I think the Tacoma would do it with a round trip of only about 110 miles on flat Indiana roads, but not sure I wanna test those waters when it comes to braking.

 

[Quad]

Is this a 242S or 242SE? If it's an S, there's not a whole lot different from the AR series - some finishes and stereo, being the key things. The SE has E-Drive and the fixed bimini. When we bought, we were looking at the AR240 and the 242SE, there was no value to us in the 242S.

 

[Quad]

Check this out for the model differences

https://web.archive.org/web/20200513204410/https://www.yamahaboats.com/globalassets/2020/homepage/download-englishspanish-brochure/2020-final-boat-english-brochure.pdf

On your other question, no, the 242S series does not have ballast, that's on the X series.

 

[Yambers]

@Quad It is the S model. I have been researching and I think you are right about the finishes just being nicer. But pickins are slim. it also has updated/aftermarket rims and tires on the trailer. I dont know if the S series all come with that, but it is a bonus. Thanks for the brochure. I had been looking for one of those.

 

[Yambers]

Aside from all that jazz, the dealership also stated interest rates were hovering around 6%. Seemed high to me, and I recall others discussing other lenders with better rates. Is there a list of well known lenders?

 

[Wildgoose242s]

Aside from all that jazz, the dealership also stated interest rates were hovering around 6%. Seemed high to me, and I recall others discussing other lenders with better rates. Is there a list of well known lenders?

Bank of the west has rates in the middle 4’s

 

[Wildgoose242s]

Just purchased a 242S with 20hrs In Oklahoma for 60K.

 

[I_squared_r]

Aside from all that jazz, the dealership also stated interest rates were hovering around 6%. Seemed high to me, and I recall others discussing other lenders with better rates. Is there a list of well known lenders?

Credit unions have the best rates. I wouldn't go for anything less than 4%. 3% is ideal.

 

[Yambers]

Just purchased a 242S with 20hrs In Oklahoma for 60K.

Thanks. that gives me some bargaining power. A 15% depreciation from new would be about $60k, plus I have to wait on damage to be fixed.

 

[Yambers]

Went and checked it out today. Dealer isn't budging on price, but as I was there, other people asked if I was getting it because if I wasn't, they were. So why would they budge?

Here are the details I got. The boat has never been registered, so I get the lower interest rate of about 3.9 since it is considered new.. I dont have to pay freight or prep. 0 down and 0 payments for 90 days. Full factory warranty, just as if I bought it with 0 hours.. Crack is getting fixed. They are storing for the winter. Dealer isnt budging on any extras. I asked about the 63 hours seeming high for a "demo". Turns out the person doing the demo was Dan Dakich, and he had the boat at his house (on a lake) since mid/late 2019 when the boat came out.

They had multiple versions of the 2021's on the showroom floor, probably 8 (mostly 25's), and every one of them was sold. They are basically only taking orders on 2022's.. They aren't expecting any more 2021's.

So, the wife and I decided that if we passed, we would be without a boat for another year. It was either now, or we give up. So now we are waiting on financing to get completed. I'm positive it will go through, and then it is ours!!!!

Thanks to all for the advice, for all of the other threads I have researched, and all who reached out to me privately.. This is a great place to find out anything needed concerning boats of all kinds. I love the comedians, the experts, and the ones who call out the fakes on this site.

 

[HangOutdoors]

I would wonder why there is such a sizeable crack?

Do they have maintenance records that they will give you showing when maintenance was done.

Make sure that the Full warranty they are giving you is something Yamaha is backing like on a new boat, and not just something the dealer is throwing in on their word. Get it in writing, everything in writing, from the dealer regarding the warranty. Not just the boilerplate document they put in your closing package. If it were me I would call Yamaha and verify. Worst case scenario an engine goes, and there is an issue with the warranty.

It that checks out and is verified than it sound like you have a new boat