Did I get ripped off?

M

mountainbyker

New Member
Nov 22, 2014
19
United States
Boat Info
Current
2016 350DA

Former
2014 310DA
2012 260
Engines
8.2 Merc w/Seacore x2
Hey CSR, I just bought my 3rd SR in less than 1.5 years. Started with used 2012 260, new 2014 310 and now new 2016 350, all from the same dealer.

Never thought to check engine hours since boat was 'new' but I found out when I checked expecting to see only a few that it had 28. I asked the sales guy what the story was and he claims he didn't know, said SeaRay tested for 20 hours since it was the first 2016.

Warranty doesn't seem to be impacted and boat looks like new but I'm pretty pissed no one said anything about the hours. Not sure if it's legal to sell boat as new with as many hours but curious if others would be ok or upset? BTW, having owned other boats, and this is the best part of all, I was thinking maybe it's good because some kinks will be worked out. Just as I'm thinking that as I'm cruising along Newport Beach the chrome ring around a light in the radar arch falls out and hits my buddy in the face...

Please let me know if I'm over reacting, thinking about calling lawyer Monday.

Thank you.


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If the boat was never titled to another buyer, it's new. Regardless of hours. I looked at the sales contract on my boat, and it doesn't mention hours, so unless yours does and it's shows a different number, I don't see any legal issues.

I do agree that it's probably more hours than I would have wanted on a new boat (or at least known about it before I closed the sales), but I still don't see how it's anything worth calling your lawyer about.

If you've bought three boats from this dealer, you've clearly established a relationship, so I'd talk to them and see if they'll throw in a winterization or service credit as a good customer service/relationship gesture.
 
well , cannot comment on laws in usa but in europe you could expect at least an clarification where and why the hours accumulated.

if the boat was used for searay presentations or test rides with Potential buyers it would be Not new anymore by german law.

new ( cars or boats ) is only operating hours / Kilometers which are needed for factory function testing and delivery to the dealer / buyer. definitly no test rides with other customers.
 
Before getting your lawyer involved, contact Sea Ray and give them your HIN along with the explanation that the dealer gave you and see if the stories line up. I don't recall the laws regarding demo boats being sold as new.
 
Sounds like you got a boat that the dealer used for demos, events etc. still technically new, and personally the hrs would not bother me, but I would expect some consideration for it. When I bought my 290da new it had only 1 or 2 hrs on the engines. I would say this is the equivalent of buying a new car that has 1000 miles on it, not the 100 or less you would expect. I would ask for some service work, extended warranty or maybe some accessory you were planning to buy.
 
If it was for demo one would assume the person would have wanted to see how fast the boat would go. Full RPM on new engines is probably not a good thing. As noted extended warranty would be nice. Or replace the boat.
 
This is one of those closing the barn door after the horse escaped things. Checking the engine hours, the equipment list, the cosmetics, etc is something you should have done before closing on the boat. If Sea Ray had run up those hours "testing" then the dealer received a discount on the boat to take it, but that dog doesn't hunt. THis is a carry over model and the boat being produced are production boats, not test boats. More likely the dealer's people ran up the hours on demos, the "friends and family plan" or on local get-aways. About all you can do at this point is to ask for an explanation, pitch a fit, and maybe get some future credit for the hours. In the grand scheme of boat ownership, 28 hours isn't a big deal.
 
I wouldn't worry about it as thats not many hours and a few people probably sea trialed it when they were shopping.
And like you say, it worked some of the kinks out. The chrome piece,, well welcome to Searay quality control.

One thing I would check on is to make sure the Sirius XM trial period starts at Zero on he day you signed.
Also, maybe you could bargain for a 1st years winterization or tune up/oil change for free with the dealer.
 
Check the rpm history on the computers, make sure they weren't beating the snot out of it.
 
BillK2632 said:
Sounds like you got a boat that the dealer used for demos, events etc. still technically new, and personally the hrs would not bother me, but I would expect some consideration for it. When I bought my 290da new it had only 1 or 2 hrs on the engines. I would say this is the equivalent of buying a new car that has 1000 miles on it, not the 100 or less you would expect. I would ask for some service work, extended warranty or maybe some accessory you were planning to buy.
Click to expand...

Once again I agree with Bill
 
By law, as Steve said in post #2, a boat/truck/car is new until it has been titled in a person's (or company's) name. Boats are delivered to the dealer with a Manufacturer's Statement of Origin (MSO) and the title goes to the bank that is flooring the boat at the dealer's. The exception to this is if the dealer is a large enough company to buy the boat outright from the manufacturer.

When the boat/truck/car is sold, the dealer sends a check to the bank to pay off the flooring. The bank then sends the title to the dealer who fills out the paperwork to transfer the title to the seller or to his bank if the buyer financed it.
 
28 hours is about 1000 gallons of fuel at 3200RPM IE 35 GPH time 28. If you ran it 4 hours a day that is a week of running. Vacation demo? That is a lot of running on demo. No idea what the law is but I have bought new cars and trucks they may have 10 or so miles on them. My jet boat had 1 hour on it when I got it.
 
My boat had 20 something hours on it when delivered to me back in 2003. MM transferred the boat between a couple of stores (Sacramento, Tower Park and Oakland) hence the hours.
 
Just asking, but does the hour meter know that the engine is running, or only that the key is in the on position. I have always wondered, but I never left the key on for a couple hours straight to find out. But if so, a customer leaving the key switched to on over night or so could really run up the hours, and the dealer would just find a dead battery the next day.
 
You are due for service at the time you bought your boat. My boat in 2007 suggested an engine oil and transmission fluid change. You may want to ask for that and a readout on how the boat was run.
 
My boat sat in the showroom for about 6 weeks. This was in a wet slip in a covered building with other new boats that could be boarded with a sales person. It had some minor cosmetic damage to the transom door from traffic and had about 14 hours on the engines.
The genny showed around 5 hours. I put two hours on the mains running the boat in Lake Michigan on a day with small craft warnings while deciding to buy it. The dealer replaced the transom door damage with new materials and did some other warranty work (one muffler leaked water and an alternator had a wire that went to the wrong terminal so the output was too high). By the time I got the boat back to my home slip, the boat had about 26 hours on it and was fully and properly broken in. It is hard to demo a boat for less than an hour as people expect to see how the hull performs. Because boats cost so much, people expect a decent demo before spending the money.
 
Thanks for all the comments. Agree in the overall scheme of things it's not a lot of hours but had I known I'd have negotiated more than I did. Boat looks like new, in fact the person who washes it commented on how clean it was. They claim the 20 hour service was done and next isn't 'till 100 so I did save several hundred by not having to pay for break in service which isn't bad but I'm sure I'd have gotten a few thousand more off the price if the hours came into play.

Again, thanks for the replies. I was furious yesterday, glad to see it doesn't seem like a huge deal to anyone. Worse things in life than having a 2016 350 with a few hours on it ;)
 
You love the boat don't let this spoil the excitement. Maybe the dealer did take into consideration the 28 hours during the negotiation... Go enjoy it...
 
This is something that should have been caught prior to closing. Did you buy the boat sight unseen? I've bought a couple of boats from the same dealer and I have always checked the computer. You can also survey a new boat.

With that said, I'd tell the dealer you're confirming their story with SR. I have found SR to be very responsive. If SR doesn't support the story ask the dealer if they'd like to rethink their explaination. In the end you may get some free maintenance.
 
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