'02 Air or '05 Air 216TE? Please help!

[tmb]

I was dead set on selling my '98 Sport and buying an '02 Air. I was going to transfer the PP and jump seat to the '02 Air. After everything was done it was going to cost me a net of 10k. Yesterday I made the mistake of going to the boat show. The local Nautique dealer had a sweet silver cloud/blue stripe, blue tower '05 Air 216TE. If you include my PP and jump seat the only thing the '05 has that the '02 doesn't is tower speakers, amp & sub, & the composite platform, not to mention 120 hours and a few scratches & wear from previous owner. The dealer said he could probably get me into the '05 for 25k (tax included) plus my '98 sport. I don't know what to do. I had no intentions of buying new but this boat is sweet. It has everything I want plus noboby has ever scratched or ding'd it. The '02 is in very good shape but there are the normal tears in the Air sticker, no tower speakers, I will have to do the work on the PP install. I was thinking of buying the '02 and trading it in one a new Air in a few years. After thinking about, I don't think I would be any better off. It would still probably cost 12-15 k plus the '02 for a new boat. My girlfriend says I should buy it now b/c I'm young (29), no kids, and have the money. Any and all advice is greatly appreciated.

[xmalibuman]

If it were me it would depend on if financing were an issue, if you can pay cash for the upgrade to 02 and would have to finance the 05 then the decision would be clear for me- get the 02 and put some new decals on it and it's yours. Financing a new boat is a last resort for me, not only will you take the boats depreciation but you will add cost of interest, higher tax amount, etc.

Now if cash is no problem then yes, get the 05 !

[tmb]

I agree with you on financing. If I finance anything it would only be 10k and then pay that off within a couple months. Very small finance charge.

[SGY]

Based upon your description of the financing, I would get the 216. It is hands down a nicer boat. The ski wake is nicer and the wakeboard wake is pretty dang good. The way the boat handles in comparison to the 02 will blow you away. CC really hit the ball out of the park on the new models that arrived in 2003. They are quieter, smoother and usually quicker.

You won't be sorry with the 216.

[redelf75]

I'm not sure about the '02, but the '03 216 with ballast has insuficient trunk space for a slalom ski. The '04 and '05's have a deeper and wider trunk that makes all the difference on a boat that is otherwise void of storage space.

As far the business aspect of the decision goes, I think you have to keep a boat at least 5 years before getting any value out of it. Otherwise, you take too large a hit on depreciation. That said, let your heart tell you which to buy, not your head!

[tmb]

red
Is the 02 trunk not deep enough? I can't believe they would make such an error.

SGY
I surprised that there would be that much difference in the 2 boats. I know they are different hulls but I didn't think I would notice.

[AbunDiga909]

red
Is the 02 trunk not deep enough? I can't believe they would make such an error.

It is not a matter of depth, (although I would lay the ski on its side with a binding on anyway) but a matter of width. Up til '04, the ballast tanks on the 216 or Air Nautique curved up along the side of the boat and made it so you couldn't really fit a slalom ski in it up to about 67". We got a 68" ski in there, but that was when the trunk was totally empty and the ski was on its side and diagonal. This problem was fixed in '04.

[SGY]

CC made many improvements on these boats that really helped. For starters they went to a shallower shaft angle which improved the acceleration and minimized the bow rise upon take off. The wetted surface was redesigned which also improved the ride. I had the opportunity to ride in an 02 Air and a 03 216 back to back two years ago. The 02 was noiser, didn't cut through the chop as well and didn't have the hole shot--even with the venerable GT-40. There was also much more vibration in the keyhole turn arounds at each end of the course. I noticed the differences even more in comparing my 99 SNOB with my 03 206. CC IMHO made improvements by leaps and bounds from 2002 to 2003.

Trust me, you'll notice a marked difference in the two. There is nothing wrong with the Air--until you ride in the 216.

Good luck.

[redelf75]

red
Is the 02 trunk not deep enough? I can't believe they would make such an error.

Yeah, I couldn't believe it myself. CC claims to make the ultimate (at the time) crossover boat and you can't even get a 68" ski in it. Unacceptable!