Yamaha Discounts on the horizon?

[Englewoodcowboy]

Well I called my dealer and was trying to get a replacement Bimini top they promised me in August when I bought. Due to it being stored over the winter I was certainly in no rush. As I was talking to them, I started to ask questions about a possible upgrade in a year or so to a 212X and he told me they let the Yamaha Boat dealership go. They still carry other Yamaha items but felt they were wronged by Yamaha and here is why. With the release of the 2015 242 and its new features, they still have 10 2014 242's on their lot. A dealer has to pay a minimum payment to the manufacturer of approx. $300 per month per boat. They asked Yamaha if they were planning on any discount to help sell off the aging inventory as they could not keep the 2015's in stock and Yamaha said no with no plans to do so till this coming winter. Rather than getting stuck with models they were paying for and could not sell without any price reduction they told Yamaha to take their boats back... can't say I blame them. They also told me this is the same for many of their fellow dealers they constantly trade inventory with. So I have a feeling you may find a hell of a deal come this winter on 2014 242's if you are not worried about the new keel or touch screen. He also told me that they are seeing a 20% decline in sport boat sales already from the last 2 years and a 30% increase in Center Consoles... I think Yamaha is ahead of this with the 192 FSH so I would say be on the lookout for a larger model of the FSH soon. Just relaying what I was informed, it may help some of you. It is not an upset for me as this dealer is over 4 hours away and they worked a great deal for me to trade my Harley in on it.

 

[Britboater]

Certainly true on knocking out the 2014 242's, I was offered one in the low 40k.

 

[CFD3Captain]

what's wrong with your bimini?

 

[Englewoodcowboy]

It has glue residue on it from the packaging. The dealer that had my boat stored it wrapped in packaging tape and the heat cooked it in. It was a dealer trade.

 

[CFD3Captain]

oh ok, well that's good that you're getting replaced!

 

[jlcj7]

Hmm. There is a dealer here who recently stopped selling Yamaha boats. They previously sold Yamaha, cobalt, and Bennington pontoons. Now just the last two. Wonder if it is for similiar reasons.

 

[Andy S]

Hmm. There is a dealer here who recently stopped selling Yamaha boats. They previously sold Yamaha, cobalt, and Bennington pontoons. Now just the last two. Wonder if it is for similiar reasons.

Interesting, I just checked the Yamaha dealer near me and there are only selling 4 last year models and no longer lists on their website Yamaha as one of the brands they sell. Now I know why they didn't have any 2015's at this years boat show.

 

[mark_m]

My dealer, 500 miles away (when I am in position to consider buying new) indicated that mother yamaha does apply darwinian tactics to their dealer franchisees... Personally, I don't have an issue with this approach if they want to run their business model this way.

 

[Williamsone46]

At the end of the day each dealer is in charge of their own order so if the dealer misjudged their market and placed to large of an order giving them a significant prior year carry over they can't place the blame on Yamaha. Plus dealers had plenty of notice that Yamaha was introducing a new model so the dealers had time to unload their inventory.

Either way I haven't heard of any discounts coming. I don't think their very many if any carry overs near us though.

 

[twentiesforever]

Certainly true on knocking out the 2014 242's, I was offered one in the low 40k.

Referring to the Limited or SX version?

 

[SCSTWG]

Certainly true on knocking out the 2014 242's, I was offered one in the low 40k.

That would be an exceptional deal.

 

[txav8r]

I have purchased two Yammi's that were leftovers, one a one year leftover and the second was a two year leftover. It is my belief, that you won't get a significant discount purchasing a leftover boat, only about $2K per year old to a max of $4K off a two year or older boat. That is actually about how much the boats go up every year, so it appears to be a bigger discount compared to the newest model. Consider this on leftovers...they sit all the seasons, outside, that they are old, in the shipping cover. My hydroturf was chalky from the get go, and I had to have it in the dealer and get it replaced, as well as stereo head unit hassles...again, the outside under the cover heat could fry the thing. If the money is important, then there is a savings to be had, but I have heard of dealers as well as Yamaha, not offering full warranty on leftover boats too, so depending on the dealer and the deal of the day, buyer beware. I honestly think those practices are in the past. But the dealer I bought my second boat from pretty much cut me a deal and washed his hands of it, not keeping the promise of a newer shipping cover (mine ripped in the first 10 miles), nor did he want to stand behind the dealer warranty stuff. Thank God for Phil Dill Boats, as a prior customer, they service my boat, that I didn't even buy from them, as if I had. And they went to bat and got the HU and hydroturf replaced in short order too, as well as scratches that the bow roller caused, and...a cushion that was damaged in transport in the head compartment. It may be hard to believe for some, but the dealership you do business with is or will be important to you, choose wisely!

 

[Scuba_ref]

Our local Yamaha dealer also quit carrying the boats!

 

[Englewoodcowboy]

Well there is some misguided info on what dealers carry. My best friend in FL own dealerships, boats in FL and cars in OH. He was/is one of if not the largest auto group in northern OH and used to carry chrysler, then a few years back with the recession and chrysler picking and choosing which delaers to stay with and whch to dump, they dumped his franchise... The manufacture market analysis dictates what the dealers floor plan will consist of as time goes on. They have a new franchisee startup, then based on sales, demograph and market they change models required and quantities for dealer incentives etc. So when you think a dealer orders his stock it is for repairs, not vehicles to sell. Dealerships only make money on new sales when they become large enough to turn a decent volume. My dealer said he is sitting on 2014 inventory and he had to take his 2015 roll out. He took them and they sold rather fast but Mother Yamaha has done nothing to reduce old unit inventory. He is stuck paying on it each month and restocking his quantity of 2015's as well, he chose to drop his franchise so he did not get burdened with more boats, though he said he knew he could sell yet still have a Yamaha owned inventory on his lot he has to pay for that would not sell due to the new features. In years past it was no big issue because a dealer could forgo some of their mark up and sell the boat, still having to pay Yamaha X amount for it and they keep the rest when the changes where minor like stereo changes or graphics but with the new keel ad electronics, along with the noise reduction etc. they (in a new buyers eyes) are worth every penny of the 2 to 3K pric increase for the latest and greatest. This is the issue he and others appear to be having.

 

[mark_m]

Well there is some misguided info on what dealers carry. My best friend in FL own dealerships, boats in FL and cars in OH. He was/is one of if not the largest auto group in northern OH and used to carry chrysler, then a few years back with the recession and chrysler picking and choosing which delaers to stay with and whch to dump, they dumped his franchise... The manufacture market analysis dictates what the dealers floor plan will consist of as time goes on. They have a new franchisee startup, then based on sales, demograph and market they change models required and quantities for dealer incentives etc. So when you think a dealer orders his stock it is for repairs, not vehicles to sell. Dealerships only make money on new sales when they become large enough to turn a decent volume. My dealer said he is sitting on 2014 inventory and he had to take his 2015 roll out. He took them and they sold rather fast but Mother Yamaha has done nothing to reduce old unit inventory. He is stuck paying on it each month and restocking his quantity of 2015's as well, he chose to drop his franchise so he did not get burdened with more boats, though he said he knew he could sell yet still have a Yamaha owned inventory on his lot he has to pay for that would not sell due to the new features. In years past it was no big issue because a dealer could forgo some of their mark up and sell the boat, still having to pay Yamaha X amount for it and they keep the rest when the changes where minor like stereo changes or graphics but with the new keel ad electronics, along with the noise reduction etc. they (in a new buyers eyes) are worth every penny of the 2 to 3K pric increase for the latest and greatest. This is the issue he and others appear to be having.

This seems to be consistent with what I was told when I inquired when I bought my used boat.

 

[mark_m]

This seems to be consistent with what I was told when I inquired when I bought my used boat.

@txav8r It might explain dealer animosity for not buying where serivce performed.... For those that have choices in the market and have a good dealer, your blessed. Everyone else has this AWESOME resource, jetboaters.net!

 

[Williamsone46]

It blows my mind that dealers would turn away customers or be upset they have the opportunity to preform warranty work or service work on units because they didn't sell them. They still make money on servicing them.

 

[txav8r]

@txav8r It might explain dealer animosity for not buying where serivce performed.... For those that have choices in the market and have a good dealer, your blessed. Everyone else has this AWESOME resource, jetboaters.net!

I get that dealers don't want to offer VIP service standard to non customers, when they have customers that bought from them with issues themselves. My situation was a little different, in that I was looking for a leftover boat and they had none. But before I closed on the deal, I ran it by Toby and asked if they would handle all my warranty and service issues if I bought that boat. He said of course and he was true to his word! And that is what that relationship is worth that I preach about. But you would think that a dealer would do the service work regardless.

I asked the dealer I bought my 2012 from why he had a 2 year old leftover in the first place. He told me greed and arrogance caused it. I was puzzled by that and he explained that he saw no difference in that boat vs the 2013 line when it came out, and that is was just unsold inventory at the end of 2012 when his 2013's began to arrive, and of course, most people want a new boat...and he raised the price on it to match the 2013's he said...so it sat another year. At that point, he had to let it go below what he had in it to get it sold. That is what will happen with the leftover 2014 boats IMO, if there are a bunch of them nationwide. My guess is that dealers that have little inventory because their sales are good, will buy them up and offer them at the $2K reduction below what they original MSRP was.

 

[BoaterGuy]

Looks like they are discounting prior year boats by $1000 now...

 

[txav8r]

Only on 190/192 boats, depending on how you read that.