Potential owner questions - initial decision points to make

[drick]

Sail and Ski in Austin is ranked number one dealer overall in the country. When I was in the process of buying a month ago, the guys at Sail and Ski were awesome!! http://www.sailandski.com

FYI, I bought a Malibu Wakesetter VLX, but I really could have gone either way between the Nautique and Malibu. I really liked them both. I lurk here because I love the site.

i was actually recommended to them by friends in austin as well. i checked their site and they don't have any used boats, but i may call them if i decide to go new.

thanks for the suggestion

[drick]

I dont think all of the extras were worth it. One thing that sticks out is the table, we have never even pulled it out to see what it looks like (450.00 if i recall). The Stereo stuff is def worth it. The Coastal stuff is nice, but for the extra 13k I would not do it again. My next SAN will just be the Team edition. Not sure if the heater, and transom light were adds, but the heater is worthwhile, the transome lights have never been used as we have not used the boat at night yet. The boat def turns heads, and has Malibu owners talking when we are on the water.

interesting..

the dealers i talked to said the same thing. that option is off the table at this juncture i think.

almost all of the used ones i'm looking at are team edition as well, it appears that cedarcreeks assumption about all of the 230's being blown out is correct, so i guess that means i get more bling for my $, which is all good.

[AllianceBJJ]

These boats hold up pretty well over the long term and the 5 year warranty is not too shabby, especially compared to some of the competition (go to correctcraftfan.com and see a lot of the older boats still in service) and to your standard run-about family boat.

The used market has gotten so much stronger due to the yearly price increases on new boats and the crappy economy. Longer term I would expect the same, especially if the economy slows further. We may have gotten a bit lucky on our last few, but I was pretty smart about what I purchased (options, lack of un-necessary items, colors, etc.) and Buxton is great at what they do to keep me in boats that will be desirable. I even have already taken a few calls from people that know what boat I have and if I am looking to get a 2012, so they can jump on my 2011. We are going to stick on the 2011 for a few years though (unless there is a deal that I can't refuse of course).

Most of the extras aren't worth it. But if you are a bit of an audiophile, skip the stock speaker/amp set up. Go with an aftermarket system (JL, Wetsounds, Exile, etc.).

[drick]

These boats hold up pretty well over the long term and the 5 year warranty is not too shabby, especially compared to some of the competition (go to correctcraftfan.com and see a lot of the older boats still in service) and to your standard run-about family boat.

The used market has gotten so much stronger due to the yearly price increases on new boats and the crappy economy. Longer term I would expect the same, especially if the economy slows further. We may have gotten a bit lucky on our last few, but I was pretty smart about what I purchased (options, lack of un-necessary items, colors, etc.) and Buxton is great at what they do to keep me in boats that will be desirable. I even have already taken a few calls from people that know what boat I have and if I am looking to get a 2012, so they can jump on my 2011. We are going to stick on the 2011 for a few years though (unless there is a deal that I can't refuse of course).

Most of the extras aren't worth it. But if you are a bit of an audiophile, skip the stock speaker/amp set up. Go with an aftermarket system (JL, Wetsounds, Exile, etc.).

good news, i was expecting these things to drop a lot more in value than they appear to. i agree with your assessment on the market indexed against the economy as well.

can you provide some details on what options and colors that you've found? i assume the baseline items like team edition don't fall into this category, right?

[drick]

ok, here is another wrinkle.

i live in eco friendly CA.. all of these boats i'm looking at are not located in state. one of the dealers i was speaking to stated that he cannot sell me a boat due to the fact that his boat "does not have a CAT-engine".

is there any way to address and make it smog-legal (i.e. put a catalytic converter on it aftermarket).

[AllianceBJJ]

good news, i was expecting these things to drop a lot more in value than they appear to. i agree with your assessment on the market indexed against the economy as well.
can you provide some details on what options and colors that you've found? i assume the baseline items like team edition don't fall into this category, right?

Team editions seem to be more desirable overall, and in a 230 everything is a Team edition (they stopped offering the Nautique/Signature edition in 2010 or 2011 for the 230, but I heard there might be a lower end version of the 230 for 2012 but don't take that as gospel just yet). There is a large group of people that like the Signature/Nautique edition that has keyed ignition, regular gauges (no Linc system), etc. for the simplicity and perceived unreliability/cost to fix down the road of digital items.
The Team edition items seem to be enough for most and to be honest I don't even know what is all "included" in that anymore. My 210 and 230 have had just about everything but the table, walkthough door and underwater transom lighting.

Colors: I have always went with the all white, some black or black/blue. The lime greens and oranges look cool and all, but I think it could also limit the audience who would consider buying when you are ready to sell, but that is just my opinion. They wouldn't make those colors if no one was buying them.

[tourpro]

ok, here is another wrinkle.

i live in eco friendly CA.. all of these boats i'm looking at are not located in state. one of the dealers i was speaking to stated that he cannot sell me a boat due to this fact.

is there any way to address and make it smog-legal?

Interesting. Does that mean CA boats have less HP once compliant ? I notice used Nautiques are cheaper out west.

[drick]

Interesting. Does that mean CA boats have less HP once compliant ? I notice used Nautiques are cheaper out west.

i don't think so, it just means they have to have a catalytic converter and all the CA compliant SMOG crap like cars do.. others are more qualified to speak on this than me though

[wake_fun]

CA Marine Emissions PDF

[aarond0083]

In 2012, all boats at all dealers will have the catanium engines so if you go with a 2012 it will not matter where you buy it, it will be fine for CA law.

[drick]

In 2012, all boats at all dealers will have the catanium engines so if you go with a 2012 it will not matter where you buy it, it will be fine for CA law.

thanks Aaron.

FWIW, i actually sent an email to CC asking them for guidance, their response was:

"In 2010 there were CA emission boats, but in 2011 all boats were the same"