new vs. used

[torchredheaven]

Need a little help. I am purchasing a vacation home on Lake Anna, VA and would love to buy a boat to have some fun on with the family. I have done a lot of research and have decided on Sea Ray 185 Sport. Love to know some prices everyone have paid. Seems like a good used one, with low hours is the way to go. Looking at a 2009 with 15hrs. listed at $19,995. Can anyone help?:huh:

 

[jbiancolli]

Just went through a similar situation with building a lake house. We went in looking at the 185 also but never got around to negotiating. Left with a 200SD. The 185 was just too small plus I got hung up on the need for fuel injection.

 

[jrm005]

Need a little help. I am purchasing a vacation home on Lake Anna, VA and would love to buy a boat to have some fun on with the family. I have done a lot of research and have decided on Sea Ray 185 Sport. Love to know some prices everyone have paid. Seems like a good used one, with low hours is the way to go. Looking at a 2009 with 15hrs. listed at $19,995. Can anyone help?:huh:

You can get a new 2010 185 for a few K more throughout the Costco program. That is what we did at least.

 

[Sundancer]

Or you could go 10 years old and save even more? A lot of boats out there are barely broken in at the 5 year mark and have a lot of life left in them. New boats still require maintenance and have their issues too, albeit they are generally less. Whatever fits your pocket book is what will make sense. Also make sure you have a tow vehicle up to the task if you intend to put it on a trailer.

 

[beernutz]

Need a little help. I am purchasing a vacation home on Lake Anna, VA and would love to buy a boat to have some fun on with the family. I have done a lot of research and have decided on Sea Ray 185 Sport. Love to know some prices everyone have paid. Seems like a good used one, with low hours is the way to go. Looking at a 2009 with 15hrs. listed at $19,995. Can anyone help?:huh:

My friend bought a 2007 185 for $13k last summer from a MarineMax which was in extremely good condition and had less than 50 hours. The only thing I don't care for on his boat is that it has a 7 1/2 foot beam whereas my boat, which is about the same length as his, has an 8 1/2 foot beam. That extra room is nice imo. Also his boat doesn't have a driver's seat booster which I really like on mine.

Of course the extra width comes with extra weight so that except for the top end speed our boats seem to perform similarly though his has a 3.0L 135HP and mine is a 5.0L EFI 240HP. My GPH is typically between 6 and 6.5 whereas I think his is around 4.5. Good luck and I'm sure you'll be happy with whatever you get as I think Sea Ray's are great boats.

 

[Smile Maker]

You didn't say what size family you have or what your needs for passengers is, but we have three kids (and a friend or two of theirs usually), and so I couldn't imagine anything smaller that the 220.
Like you, we have a house, so we do alot of shorter trips from the boathouse and back instead of all-day trips.

 

[ZZ13]

Need a little help. I am purchasing a vacation home on Lake Anna, VA and would love to buy a boat to have some fun on with the family. I have done a lot of research and have decided on Sea Ray 185 Sport. Love to know some prices everyone have paid. Seems like a good used one, with low hours is the way to go. Looking at a 2009 with 15hrs. listed at $19,995. Can anyone help?:huh:

Sounds like a good enough price as long as it as the 4.3L engine in it. There are so many variables in deciding what price works for you. Go with your gut.

 

[Noland]

What kind of options does the baot have? did the 1st owner do any mods?

how does the engine & outdrive look?

The 195 beam is only 3" longer than the 185. we have no problems with 6 adults on board.

 

[quailrunner]

That's actually a good price from my vantage point - we just bought an '06 (190 hp) for $13 - 78 hours. We were looking for the 185 in particular - lift limits - and there were not a lot of them available in our area, so no one would negotiate on their price. The 135 is a lot less expensive, but I've owned a 175 w. the 135hp (much older); the 190 is a lot better.

 

[jhild]

Seems like a good used one, with low hours is the way to go.

You’re on the right track, but you don’t need to limit yourself to a boat that new. My advice would be to find a 3-5 year old boat that fits your needs and your budget. You’re on a lake, so look for a nice local freshwater boat with no condition issues. Let someone else take the depreciation hit on a new/newer boat.

Since this is likely your first boat, it’s quite probable that within a couple years you will (1) want a different boat once you figure out your boating lifestyle and what you really want/need, or (2) decide that having a boat is more trouble than it’s worth. Either way, you’re probably looking at selling/trading your first boat relatively soon. (Most people don’t get it right the first time. I certainly didn’t.)

Buy a less expensive “pre-enjoyed” Sea Ray while you learn about how YOU will use the boat. When it’s time to move up or out, you’ll be glad you saved a few thousand dollars on your first purchase.

 

[quailrunner]

Advice from jhild is right on the money! We bought a very old seville in the spring of 09, learned a lot about boats (and learned that we didn't want a 23-year-old boat or one that small) and sold it for $200 less than what we paid for it a year later; good learning experience.