Boat Value's Increasing

[OCMD]

Bought my 2008 SX230 early in 2013 for 23,900. (It was purchased new in 2011 as a dealer leftover, by the way). It has never caused me one issue. No doubt it would easily fetch at least 20k this year. Of course, it looks almost brand new. And yes, this is because they are bulletproof, plus the cost of the new ones are much too high, IMO.

 

[drewkaree]

I think when they split out the lengths, they were able to stagger the pricing to fit the market other manufacturers have created, meaning more money for them with the ability to find something for every buyer. Much like going onto a car lot, they can ALWAYS find something to fit your needs, then find a price point you're willing to pay.

If the prices on used boats in my area were a bit better, I might have bought used, but as it was, I couldn't find something I was comfortable buying for the price they were asking, or the hours on the boat, or both. Dealer packages or deals were nice, but when the money finally was available for a purchase, I wanted what the 2019's had to offer for the effort I wouldn't have to put into it. I was looking at buying a used boat from the local water ski show until I happened to stumble across Yamaha's, and the price on a new boat was still comparable to a 2-3 year old used boat (that I knew the history of).

In the end, as someone stated, it's like stocks you own - they're only worth what that value is if you sell it, and to add to that, it's only worth what someone wants to pay for it. No one willing to pay those prices due to them not seeing value in it at that price, and they don't sell.

 

[PJ73]

So if Yamaha fixed the "timing chain" issue on the 1.8's in 2016, wouldn't that make the 2017-2019 the best models so far? Then again, I guess time will tell if the "fixed" 1.8's are more bullet proof than the older MR-1's.

 

[Beachbummer]

Yep, check in 10 years. History is a tough judge. I think Fit and finish of the 230s were also well regarded.

 

[capt]

Untill you cut out the built in cooler and then relocate the batteries back beside the engines... all of that is a pain in the ass but it makes the boat much more useable.

Do you have a thread showing how to cut out the cooler and relocate the batteries?

 

[bronze_10]

The cooler was way easier! The battery relocation was a pain... I dont have a video aBout either

 

[bronze_10]

I can explain what I did if u need me to.

 

[Seadeals]

The values have definitely held up better than I originally expected; but the inflation with the newer boats is worse than expected and makes staying in my 2006 a tremendous value over any newer options. I am with @swatski on a change in Yamaha’s culture/product. It isn’t wrong from a business perspective as they have made huge increases to production/sales. They no longer have to “prove themselves”, so the heart that goes into it changes. I never saw another Yamaha on the lake years ago but now I see at least two or three every time out.

The things I favor of the old school SR/SX/AR boats are:
1. Sturdier construction (hull thickness, windshield strength, etc...).
2. MR1 reliability and fuel efficiency (despite my nursing the rare block crack, I still feel that way...it runs like a champ every time).
3. He bow. Not a fan of the pickle fork hull.
4. They are not neutered to drive like an I/O.
5. No leaks! Just left it in the lake for a week on spring break. Pulled kids on tubes and bounced over lots of big waves...not a drop out of it when I pulled the plug.
6. Direct drive in the SX/AR210; connecting engines to impeller is as simple (and reliable) as it gets. 8000RPM WOT does not require a reduction and the engines are spinning “slow” for the design.
7. There are tons of waverunners with the same engines so spares availability is still very good.

Things I like about the new are the hinged seats, lower swim deck (at waterline) and the towers have improved greatly. I would like to see a bow design that ditches the pickle fork and keeps a higher stance over the waterline. To me, they all slope down too close to the making a swamping event too easy.

 

[swatski]

The values have definitely held up better than I originally expected; but the inflation with the newer boats is worse than expected and makes staying in my 2006 a tremendous value over any newer options. I am with @swatski on a change in Yamaha’s culture/product. It isn’t wrong from a business perspective as they have made huge increases to production/sales. They no longer have to “prove themselves”, so the heart that goes into it changes. I never saw another Yamaha on the lake years ago but now I see at least two or three every time out.

The things I favor of the old school SR/SX/AR boats are:
1. Sturdier construction (hull thickness, windshield strength, etc...).
2. MR1 reliability and fuel efficiency (despite my nursing the rare block crack, I still feel that way...it runs like a champ every time).
3. He bow. Not a fan of the pickle fork hull.
4. They are not neutered to drive like an I/O.
5. No leaks! Just left it in the lake for a week on spring break. Pulled kids on tubes and bounced over lots of big waves...not a drop out of it when I pulled the plug.
6. Direct drive in the SX/AR210; connecting engines to impeller is as simple (and reliable) as it gets. 8000RPM WOT does not require a reduction and the engines are spinning “slow” for the design.
7. There are tons of waverunners with the same engines so spares availability is still very good.

Things I like about the new are the hinged seats, lower swim deck (at waterline) and the towers have improved greatly. I would like to see a bow design that ditches the pickle fork and keeps a higher stance over the waterline. To me, they all slope down too close to the making a swamping event too easy.

Somewhat in this context, let's not forget they were hit very hard by the 2008/2009 recession and my understanding is there were major changes in the company structure. They seemed more enthusiastic and more engineering-driven beforehand.

--

 

[Bruce]

So if Yamaha fixed the "timing chain" issue on the 1.8's in 2016, wouldn't that make the 2017-2019 the best models so far? Then again, I guess time will tell if the "fixed" 1.8's are more bullet proof than the older MR-1's.

My guess is that the fixed 1.8s are at best similarly reliable the older MR-1s. The MR-1 HO used specialized materials and construction to achieve over 100 horsepower per liter. This made them expensive to manufacture. The 1.8 is a less optimized design using displacement to replace expensive components.

Longevity will be the more interesting comparison. Each generation of hull since the 230 has grown in size while maintaining a similar weight. The hulls have become thinner and more flexible. I am sure they are engineered well but I suspect that the thin flexible hull will not hold up as well over the long term.

 

[dadofral]

I bought a 2008 212X with 6 hours on it back in 2010 for $29K, sold it last summer in 2015 for $25500.00...pretty good after having it for five years I thought. Yam boats hold their value.

 

[BrandonG]

Personally I think this is all the newer Yamaha jets.. I started looking for an AR195 last July and didn't find any priced well enough that it would convince me to buy a used over a new boat

 

[Bizywk]

I just saw a 2012 sx190 for sale on craigslist today and the price caught my eye so I did a little checking and realized that they're selling it for the original MSRP when it was new. It's at the end of the season to boot. I have to really wonder where our economy is going. I never would have thought a guy could sell a non-collectable 10 year old used vehicle with no depreciation.

 

[biffdotorg]

I just saw a 2012 sx190 for sale on craigslist today and the price caught my eye so I did a little checking and realized that they're selling it for the original MSRP when it was new. It's at the end of the season to boot. I have to really wonder where our economy is going. I never would have thought a guy could sell a non-collectable 10 year old used vehicle with no depreciation.

I am seeing piles of used Yamahas in our area, and the ones on FB marketplace are not dropping since we are weeks away from first snow. It will be interesting to see what selling price will be in comparison to asking price. As asking prices are all over the place.

That being said, I did see my first NADA average retail of a boat be greater than original MSRP! So that tells you, folks are still paying stupid prices. Even yourself thought it was a fair price until you looked it up. It's all in perception.

I keep searching for fixer uppers in hopes of flipping a couple boats this spring.

 

[adrianp89]

I am seeing piles of used Yamahas in our area, and the ones on FB marketplace are not dropping since we are weeks away from first snow. It will be interesting to see what selling price will be in comparison to asking price. As asking prices are all over the place.

That being said, I did see my first NADA average retail of a boat be greater than original MSRP! So that tells you, folks are still paying stupid prices. Even yourself thought it was a fair price until you looked it up. It's all in perception.

I keep searching for fixer uppers in hopes of flipping a couple boats this spring.

I am ready to buy a used FSH210 but not at these prices lol.