First time buying a boat...and it'll be brand new. Help.

[Mitchsaw]

As the title says, I have decided I'm going to pick up a Yamaha 195S while they have their April deal going on.

This is my FIRST ever boat, and I am choosing to buy brand new.

Being as I'm new to this industry, what are some things I should go to the dealer expecting? I will never pay full price.
Do any of you have any good advice for me to use as leverage? Should I request certain things?

One thing I can already say I'm going to want is tower speakers, is it common to have them throw things like this in? What were you given when you bought?

I appreciate you all!

 

[Dixie Highway]

You will find Yamaha and their dealers less than willing to move much from the price, unless it’s end of season. Whatever deals are on now, you’ll get that off of MSRP. For example, I bought the week after Labor Day, and got some $ off on a then current year 2018, so if you’re looking at a 2020 it’s pretty early in the year to expect much off. Then again, current financial situations may change that. The things they are more likely to negotiate on are accessories, prep fee, etc. Mooring cover is probably one of the most expensive things you’ll buy, so you might want to start with that. Anchors, fenders, life vests, all these things you’re required to have and can use those as leverage too. Congrats btw, and FYI The rule here on the forum is pics or it didn’t happen! We all love seeing fresh boat pics....

 

[GeauxDeep]

Yeah i agree. With it being early in the year and other incentives going on, i wouldn't expect much off of MSRP. You could always ask i guess. Most of the time with these boats i hear more about successfully negotiating other items like mooring covers, safety gear, anchor, life jackets, water toys, etc. I don't think I've ever hear of anyone getting tower speakers thrown in. Post pics when you get it! Good luck.

 

[F.M.]

^^ what they said. And congrats, you'll love it.

 

[Dave burke]

I bought my 2017 212X in May of 2017 and was able to get about $1k off list and the mooring cover (worth close to $1k) thrown in. I had to push really hard to get that.

 

[2kwik4u]

@Mitchsaw First and foremost. Welcome to the site. Glad to have you.

The other guys have already given you some good advice above. From my perspective I got $500 off MSRP, "free setup" which is the battery, connections, and a few other things (they claimed a $500 value), the shipping cover, and 25% off whatever I wanted from the "pro shop". If it's the difference between making the sale or not, I would think you can get a set of tower speakers thrown in. Don't go in expecting much though, Yamaha is tight on the price, and very unlikely to move very far off MSRP.

With that said though.....MSRP is worth it. These boats are still an EXCELLENT value. I have 121hrs on my 2017 AR190 that I bought brand new, and haven't had any really notable issues from it. I financed like $30k when I bought it. I think I still have like $26k on the loan and I could probably sell it outright for $22-23k. Of anything I've ever bought and been "upside down" on, this boat is the best scenario for that. I've been $20k upside down on cars in 3 years of ownership before. Of course that only matters if you sell during this part of the loan.....Anyway, the point is, these boats hold value really well, and part of that is because there aren't 25% off sales prices all over the place.

NOW......that I've said all that. I would STRONGLY encourage you to look for a used boat as your first craft. You can find some gently used boats that are only a few years old for decent prices. You're more likely to get more boat for your budget going used. More importantly, you get to bonk it into a dock and not feel terrible that you just damaged a BRAND NEW boat. You WILL bonk a dock, pylon, or some other immovable object, and you WILL scratch the boat. Go ahead and be good with that, it's coming. A used boat softens that initial blow a little bit IMO. My wife and I had a '1998 Rinker for 6 seasons before we bought our Yamaha. We bonked that boat quite a few times. We also cross loaded it on the trailer once, we drug part of it up the ramp, we drove it over a curb and bent a wheel. We did all kinds of wonky thinks to that poor boat and trailer, but it taught us a TON, and we didn't tear up a shiny, brand new, very expensive boat.

At any rate, welcome to the site, and good luck with the purchase!

 

[Chevyguy2021]

Yea I wouldn't expect much off TBH, especially since its the beginning of May.
I would buy your own tower speakers and do some research on what you want. Lots to choose from! GL!

 

[Cobra Jet Steering LLC]

Normally I would agree with the advice about price however in this current situation the economy is going to take a huge hit , so the leverage is in your favor first find the boat you want and then depending if you are paying cash or financing make them an out the door offer including the 5 year warranty, they make money on the back end and they make it on extended warranties and they are going to wack you with the dealer fees, so let them sort out who makes what on the profit . Also the more time a sales person has invested in you the more he wants to close the deal so get them invested in YOU. I would hazard a guess that it's a buyers market. You are playing their game so make them play yours. You get a good deal on a boat and they get a sale everyone walks away smiling.

 

[I_squared_r]

Car manufacturers are giving away cars .. no payments for 90 days and 0% interest for 84 months. When have you ever seen that? The point is: Manufacturers know that if they don't empty inventory now then they will be stuck with cars. The same is going with boats. I heard in the beginning that yamaha started offering $2k off and I knew that was just the beginning .. yesterday they start putting financing deals on their website. The financing deals aren't that great, but that might be because they don't have the same leverage as Dodge, GM, Honda, etc. I think if you go to the dealer and push hard then you can walk away with a great deal on a showroom model. I told this to someone on Facebook that was looking at an old SX192 and he bought a AR190 that same day.

 

[Elliott]

FWIW, I bought my boat at the end of the season, and I got a couple of grand off plus a 3yr bow to stern warranty. It was the deal Yamaha was offering at the time; it was not a dealer discount.

It was my first boat, and 2.5+ years later I have had no problems with salt water only use (well they did replace the compass after it died).

 

[ctyke]

I bought mine a month ago, before all this really ramped up. My loss as you have a ton of leverage now, business are trying to keep the lights on. I always try to find a way to make the other party seem like they are getting something out of the deal. My deal was $1k under MSRP, I also bought $2k worth of stuff for the boat, which they split the cost of. Markup is pretty high on accessories, so I'm guessing they still made money on the accessories even with the 50% discount they gave me. Finally, even if you have the cash to buy it, always ask about financing. The finance department is a profit center, they get kickbacks from the banks. I will ask them upfront if they can give me a sweeten the deal if I finance it and agree to keep the loan for X months, usually 6 months is when they get their kickback. This also works when buying a car.

 

[Mitchsaw]

I bought mine a month ago, before all this really ramped up. My loss as you have a ton of leverage now, business are trying to keep the lights on. I always try to find a way to make the other party seem like they are getting something out of the deal. My deal was $1k under MSRP, I also bought $2k worth of stuff for the boat, which they split the cost of. Markup is pretty high on accessories, so I'm guessing they still made money on the accessories even with the 50% discount they gave me. Finally, even if you have the cash to buy it, always ask about financing. The finance department is a profit center, they get kickbacks from the banks. I will ask them upfront if they can give me a sweeten the deal if I finance it and agree to keep the loan for X months, usually 6 months is when they get their kickback. This also works when buying a car.

I definitely planned on financing regardless of situation, so that's good to hear that they like the sounds of that.

I have a great credit score, and will rate as an A1 (I believe this is what they call it?) tier customer, so will qualify for their 1.99% from Yamaha based on their website.

 

[grywlfbg]

Here is another thread from last year that has some good info:

https://jetboaters.net/threads/retail-price-vs-price-paid.22760/

 

[Mitchsaw]

Thank you all for the replies, and the welcomes (back) haha.
I certainly will post a thousand pictures once I get her, btw.

What I've gathered thus far is that Yamaha in specific does not move much with prices off MSRP. I don't like to hear that, I'm a deal maker, or one hell of a walker! I'm certainly in no hurry to purchase anything, especially with the craziness going around right now, so hopefully one of these dealers will want to work with me knowing that.

I've decided I'm going to be working with Lodder's Marine in Cincinnati or Stokley's in Lexington, whichever of those two wants to give me the best deal will earn my business.

You guys have provided great advice, as usual, thanks a ton!

 

[Mitchsaw]

Also,

@Mitchsaw First and foremost. Welcome to the site. Glad to have you.

NOW......that I've said all that. I would STRONGLY encourage you to look for a used boat as your first craft. You can find some gently used boats that are only a few years old for decent prices. You're more likely to get more boat for your budget going used. More importantly, you get to bonk it into a dock and not feel terrible that you just damaged a BRAND NEW boat. You WILL bonk a dock, pylon, or some other immovable object, and you WILL scratch the boat. Go ahead and be good with that, it's coming. A used boat softens that initial blow a little bit IMO. My wife and I had a '1998 Rinker for 6 seasons before we bought our Yamaha. We bonked that boat quite a few times. We also cross loaded it on the trailer once, we drug part of it up the ramp, we drove it over a curb and bent a wheel. We did all kinds of wonky thinks to that poor boat and trailer, but it taught us a TON, and we didn't tear up a shiny, brand new, very expensive boat.

At any rate, welcome to the site, and good luck with the purchase!

I have looked, looked, and then looked some more for a good looking Yammy around here, man, trust me!
I didn't want to buy new, I actually had a bank already pre-approve me for $25K to shop with, but I guess Cincinnati, OH is a darn hotspot for these things. I know Lodder's claims to be the 7th ranked Yam dealer in the States, so maybe that has a lot to do with it. I personally have never known anyone with a Yam, in fact, everyone typically craps on them around here (mainly river boaters) so it's hard to believe.

 

[2kwik4u]

Also,


I have looked, looked, and then looked some more for a good looking Yammy around here, man, trust me!
I didn't want to buy new, I actually had a bank already pre-approve me for $25K to shop with, but I guess Cincinnati, OH is a darn hotspot for these things. I know Lodder's claims to be the 7th ranked Yam dealer in the States, so maybe that has a lot to do with it. I personally have never known anyone with a Yam, in fact, everyone typically craps on them around here (mainly river boaters) so it's hard to believe.

I'm just down the river in Louisville. They are HARD to find around here. Have to move out the search radius quite a bit.

I think I know a local couple that has a red '19 242X for sale. I can reach out if you are interested.

I would have NO problem travelling to pickup a boat. Hell, there are a couple people on the boards here that will deliver it for a small fee. I'm close enough with a big enough truck I could be persuaded to help as well if needed.

 

[OrangeTJ]

What are you targeting as your deal? If it involves more than a couple thousand off of list I think you're going to be disappointed. I'd also be wary of any tower speakers they would throw in. Highly unlikely that they'd be a top performance model. Maybe not, given the current environment, and I certainly hope for your sake that you are successful and get the deal you want!

How important is it to you that you get a good "deal" vs. get a Yamaha? The only reason I ask is that if the deal part is at least equally important, you might be very well served to consider other brands. New boats from virtually all other manufacturers can typically be had for way under list - 15-25% off is about the norm. Might be worth looking at Regal, Chaparral, etc. unless you are truly set on the Yamaha. If you've decided the Yamaha is the boat for you, best to be prepared to pay pretty close to list as that is their pricing strategy.

 

[Mitchsaw]

I'm just down the river in Louisville. They are HARD to find around here. Have to move out the search radius quite a bit.

I think I know a local couple that has a red '19 242X for sale. I can reach out if you are interested.

I would have NO problem travelling to pickup a boat. Hell, there are a couple people on the boards here that will deliver it for a small fee. I'm close enough with a big enough truck I could be persuaded to help as well if needed.

I'm strictly in the 35-40 range at this point, and honestly, the more I look at Yamaha's financing, the more intrigued I get. I was offered a 3.2% rate from a bank, and it's looking like I could get a lower interest rate using Yamaha, so I think I'm going to end up buying brand new 100%.

Also, about the delivery, that is awesome that people on here are passionate enough about these things to do such a thing!
I'm also actually in the market right now for a truck - I don't even own one myself, I'd be using my Dad's Escalade to pull, so I wouldn't have access to it 24/7.

All I own are two Hondas...a Civic, and an Accord Sport! Lol! Know anyone looking to buy? I got a '16 beautiful San Bernadino Red Sport to offload

 

[Mitchsaw]

What are you targeting as your deal? If it involves more than a couple thousand off of list I think you're going to be disappointed. I'd also be wary of any tower speakers they would throw in. Highly unlikely that they'd be a top performance model. Maybe not, given the current environment, and I certainly hope for your sake that you are successful and get the deal you want!

How important is it to you that you get a good "deal" vs. get a Yamaha? The only reason I ask is that if the deal part is at least equally important, you might be very well served to consider other brands. New boats from virtually all other manufacturers can typically be had for way under list - 15-25% off is about the norm. Might be worth looking at Regal, Chaparral, etc. unless you are truly set on the Yamaha. If you've decided the Yamaha is the boat for you, best to be prepared to pay pretty close to list as that is their pricing strategy.

When I say I want a deal, I mean a couple K off the final tag. I've now been humbled and learned quickly it's more of a win with Yamahas to have extras & things like toys & covers thrown in instead of $$$ shaved off considering it's rare they come off the sticker price.

I'm pretty much sold on Yamaha as my first boat - the reason being is their on-board pump port technology. I don't feel comfortable enough with boats currently to trust myself to be able to untangle stuff from the water. My Dad really pushed for a Chaparral, they're beautiful, but I don't want to be in the Ohio River under my boat trying to dislodge sticks, etc. Is this unreasonable? I've never owned before, just what I've gathered from poking around. Yam's make this part of a jet boat very easy. Edit: A lot of the reason I want a Yamaha is because of the value they continue to hold, too.

Also, you're so very right about the janky overhead tower speakers they'd probably offer me. Have you ever had someone install stuff like this for you? What was the price to have a professional do it?

 

[OrangeTJ]

If you want a jet, the Yamaha would be my recommendation for sure. They are great boats. When I was mentioning some other brands, I was really referring to sterndrive boats from those builders. We loved our Yamaha but we also boated almost entirely in very clean water. On the occasions when we boated with a fair amount of floating debris or surface/subsurface vegetation, I have to confess that I did not particularly enjoy the jet - cleanout ports or not. I would definitely not personally want one without cleanouts if that was going to be my normal boating environment. You can't get everything out through them, but most stuff can ultimately be extricated. We have a v-drive now, so sucking stuff up is no longer a concern. Now I have the risk of hitting somthing underwater with my running gear and having a very expensive repair bill, but again we boat mostly in clean and deep water. Vegetation, when we've encountered it, has been a non-issue with the prop.

I have not had tower speakers installed but I do know that high quality units are expensive in and of themselves. By the time you add an amplifier to power them and installation, I think you'd probably be looking at close to $2K if you go with speakers and amplification by Wet Sounds, Exile, JL Audio, etc..