What to expect at dealer and with moomba boats.

[vtecths]

I am in the market for my first boat. Last season I went out a couple times on my buddy's 06 Outback and I have pretty much settled on this boat as my future purchase.

I have been doing quite a bit of homework about boats and different manufacturers. I like the standard features that is included with the Moomba line and Outback in general. I believe that this will be a great first boat for me and the family.

My questions to the community are, boats are not the same as cars obviously and there is not a moomba dealer around every corner. How much can one expect to pay for an new Outback. I know the price can differ with times of year. If someone would give me a ballpark price so I can make sure I am not a person new to the boating world and getting screwed by a dealer.

Are there options I can live without? I know for a fact I dont need tower speakers or bags right now. Can I get by with a single axle trailer or do I need a dual axle trailer. I would like to fit the boat in my garage if possible and have 22' from door to wall.

I can probably think of a million questions but this should get me by for now. Thanks in advance.

BTW: I am looking to purchase before summer or after. I would rather purchase after summer to get a better deal however I really want to be able to play this summer!

[JoeTechie]

Boats are NOT the same as cars when it comes to making your deal. There are fewer hands between you and the boat, so less markup along the way. The BEST deals are made using the Boat Show Incentives - Link is on the front page of the site or Click Here. (http://www.moomba.com/images/07_boat_show_incentives.pdf) Those will lower the over all cost by about $3K, and get you a bunch of the most important options (3 yr./wake plate/boat cover/stereo) Your dealer has a little bit of leeway as well, but not much - less than 5% on average... and that is all part of the overhead and profit. You can expect some off of list, but it does vary from dealer to dealer. Also rememebr, that these are the LEAST expensive inboard tow boats available... period. That said, - there is not much room to go lower, or they would advertise them for less. Best thing to do is to make sure you feel comfortable, and also make a friend in your dealer so that service is dealt with well.

For options - a prop upgrade($150), water strainer($120), and cleats($200) are the cheapest and I find most usefull add-ons. Though I'm sure they are cool, but I have not seen one thread on here that said "WOW - am I glad I had those docking lights, and laser cut step plates!" ;)

The boats do not come wired for stereo at all if you do not add one - so if you want one at all - get it from the factory - free in the incentives package. The most expensive option ($1100) is probably the one with the largest opinion base: Perfect Pass. It can be added later, so no big deal, but that is the one with the most conversations here.

I will put a bug in your ear - if you are not a huge skier, then look at the Outback V. The V-Drive is a much friendlier setup for first time inboard owners. Much more storage space, much more social setup, and ready for ballast without sacrificing even more precious room. Slightly larger boat as well, but without going to the 21.5' or 23' larger hulls.

Hope this helps,

Joe

[smokedog2]

What joe said - but I likethe wake plate and PP.

Go to the boat show!

SD2

[vtecths]

What joe said - but I likethe wake plate and PP.

Go to the boat show!

SD2

Yeah, I have full intention on going to the show when its here in Jan. I am just confused about prices mostly. I built a boat on the site and MSRP is one price and then I go to the dealership and MSRP seems to be about 2-3K higher. I guess the online site does not include items like freight and prep.. but I was not expecting the price they had told me, especially since my friend had to order one and he paid about $6K less than I was quoted.

Thanks for the info thus far. I am definitly looking into the V now for more family oriented boat. My initial budget was about $30K and if I have to adjust by a little more so be it.

Thanks,

Ryan

[shulaj]

You wrote "Those will lower the over all cost by about $3K, and get you a bunch of the most important options (3 yr./wake plate/boat cover/stereo) Your dealer has a little bit of leeway as well, but not much - less than 5% on average... and that is all part of the overhead and profit."


So if I understand this correctly, does that mean I can go to the boat show, pick my items on the incentives list and then talk the dealer down about another 5% AFTER these incentive prices have been put into the price? So lets say I have a $40K boat priced out, and during the boat show, the price drops to $ 36K, does that mean I can maybe pay $ 33K?

I understand that the factory chips in the factory incentive pricing, but I was also told by a dealer that the dealer also has to "chip in" some of his profits with these factory incentives so therefore it was not as good to the dealer as it sounded.

I would like to know the wiggle room here.

[smokedog2]

I don’t know if there is a lot of wiggle with the boat show sticker +/- your “free” options. Remember that the “deal I got” on the net or elsewhere may not reflect calculator precision.

Easier stuff to ask for includes the 20 hr mx, oil change, delivery timing (when to start the warrantee), on the water boat checkout (and its timing). If for example you want dual batteries, the dealer can do that local and probably cut you a deal on that as part of the purchase. Actually, I got a pretty good deal when I added it two years later.

This talk also shows you’re looking at a relationship rather than driving away forever. A boat that comes back for service is better for a dealer than one that just disappears.

Shop the other dealers. When I bought, Malibu was impossible. I suspect Moomba is still the most flexible at getting to a deal.

How well your dealer takes care of you after the sale will matter much more to your overall happiness than the whether you got the boat at rock bottom. When you take out a chunk of fiberglass at the dock, your choices to get that fixed correctly are going to be limited.

I suggest hanging around at the boat show. How many customers come by and are happy. Talk to them. Ask the dealer to call your cell phone if someone stops by that owns the type of boat you want while you're at the show. He will want to distract you from brand x. Do the same with brand x.

my $.02, worth what you paid for it.

SD2