2009 Sea Ray 185 Sport Pricing

jbrekke

New Member
Jun 27, 2009
5
I'm new to the forum and new to boating. I am looking at buying a new '09 Sea Ray 185 Sport with 4.3L, depth finder, bimini top at a local dealer in Wisconsin.

List price with current rebates is $24,200. I'm having a tough time trying to find out what is a "reasonable" price for this boat. I'm not sure how much I can or should try to drive the price down. Any thoughts or links to pricing information would be much appreciated.

thanks in advance.
 
I'm a dealer in PA, so I'm not going to comment on whether or not that is a good deal... nobody would believe me, anyway!:grin:

But, just to be clear, the list price is $28,905.
 
Lazy,

I should have said sticker price rather than list price. As a dealer I understand your reluctance to discuss prices. For a newbie it is challenging to figure out what constitutes a "fair" price for a new boat without information such as dealer invoice, etc.

Any other advice out there ?

thanks
 
There's so many factors to consider when buying a boat. Rule #1, don't fall in love with anything, Rule #2... hold to rule #1, this will help serve your wants best and also help you obtain a new craft without felling violated. Remember, boats are a "want" item and not a need item, sales people know this also so the emotionally tied buyer plays to their favor. The dealer needs to make money, so trying to "low ball" into a deal only opens you up for frustration. Make it a win-win scenario, make clear what you don't want and all other things can be considered based on the deal presented. Hence, the reason not to fall in love with anything. Know what you don't want, be flexible on color and options. If you want a 185 Sport with a 4.3 MPI Merc but the boat offered to you has a 3.0 MPI Merc for $1000 less, I would think this isn't a very good trade off based on looking at searay.com costing models. My point, information on knowing the cost drivers (engines are a big one) will help you understand if you're dealing with a "fair and reasonable" person or did you just hop into bed with Sibel. The sales person should earn their money matching you with the right boat, at the right cost for you and the right sell price for their dealership. If anyone loses, it's a bad deal... PERIOD. Just remember, know what you DON'T want!!! I would reference NADA, traderonline, etc. to gather "general" data. Also, go to Searay.com and see what is the "suggested retail". Call at least two other dealers within 250 miles and ask for an internet quote on the same boat (exactly the same), they may even try to sell you the same boat based on what they have in inventory and local availability. 10% - 15% movement is normal from "asking" price (not suggested retail price). Also, consider the market you're in. They may have more motivation to move inventory than you realize (dealership is combining, closing, etc). Finally, consider a 2008 model, same boat... they'll definitely move siginficantly on price for an earlier model.

Consider other expenses to leverage the deal to your acceptance. Example, dealer wants $24k, you offer $23k plus an extended warranty for the engine (5 years). First service on boats are often presented as "free" parts, you pay for labor. Ask for all at ZERO cost (labor is the cost driver in boat service, no other way to say it). In simple terms, don't just negotiate the price of the boat, negotiate service visits (oil change free for the first "x" amount of hrs/yrs), ask for dock lines to be thrown into the deal, sea ray fenders, heck, even ask for a few tee-shirts for you and the family.

Just remember to be fair, open and honest to secure a win-win deal. You want a boat and the dealer wants to sell a boat... how does each party achieve their goal without feeling taken advantage of. Keep your discussions open and up front. Remember, selling boats is "their" business... buying boats is NOT your business. Who do you think could hurt who the worst? Give them no reasons but to be as fair as possible with you. Good dealerships want good return customers, they realize if you like boating the chances of you trading up are better than average and they would like to have you as a return customer. Now Bob's Boat and Rip Off House really doesn't care so buyer beware. Cheap boat doesn't necessarily mean you got the lowest cost of ownership.


Good luck.
 
pdmathisjr,

Thank you for your thoughtful and helpful reply. At this point I am weighing the benefits of buying a new boat from a local dealer at a higher price vs. buying a new-used boat ('08 185 and '05 185 with same 4.3l engines) from a private source. I have come to the same conclusion as you - don't fall in love with a specific boat. I will see which of the above options gives me the best combination of price and value. Thanks again for your input.
 

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