Boat Buying

[skinautique]

Just thought I would throw this out to see what kind of response I would get. What do you guys try to find out from a dealer when you are making a boat purchase. Is it a ton of info about the boat, more about the dealer, or something else?

[Onthewater]

RE: Boat Buying

i'd concentrate heavily on the dealer, i know the majority of the product myself.

[alanholt]

RE: Boat Buying

We're lucky in the UK our Dealer TV Ski are superb, we bought a cheap Craig Craft from them initially, within two years we were back to swap it for an Air Nautique. Service from the Guys there is always first class. I'd concentrate on the condition of the boat if its used, if your buying new then the dealer relationship is more important.

[TylerO]

RE: Boat Buying

I grill the dealer. To me having a good dealer is one of the leading factors in which boat I purchase. Questions I ask center around how warranty and non-warranty work is handled, turn around time, what their industry involvement is, reference customers, etc.

[G-man]

In my area we have the big 3 inboard dealers all within 1 /2 hours drive. All sell alot of boats. Only 1 of them has a great service dept. Poor service after the sale can ruin any boat. Talk to the customers of the dealership. Drive and ski behind any boat you are considering.

[surfsup]

george - I'm assuming from your location that Buxton Marine is the dealer with an excellent service department. I've purchased 3 boats from them and have had nothing but outstanding service and support....

[rocket-man]

I am about to purchase a boat from buxton and have been very impressed so far. Just waiting on Phil to find me a used ski with my specs.

[JoeCos]

For me, its both - Dealer and Boat Manufacturer.

Location of the Dealer is a Big Part in the buying decision because servicing will be critical. Convenience is a big PLUS.

And of course, the quality of their service folks, are they fully trained technicians ? or do they hire part timers to help them out ? All these
should be considered before shelling out ca$h.

I have 2 CC dealers, one is 35 miles away, the other is approx 65 miles away. Its a no brainer.

[thutch]

For me both matter... I choose the boat first, then make sure the dealer is going to be able to make the experiance worth it... I live in Houston and the delaership is owned and run by guys that are in the sport.. so they are very easy to work with, understand you as a customer from a riders prospective and have the best service department in the area.. I can't tell you how nice it is to know that your boat is fixed the right way when you pick it up. They have a lake on site to test it prior to me picking it up, so I don't have the problems I read about where the boat runs great hooked up to a waterhouse, yet doesn't do the same when sitting in the lake.

[ag4ever]

Yup, gotta say paul, james, john, cliff and the rest of them are just great.

It is a shame that all dealers don't live up to the same standard.