Supra SE, new to brand, opinions welcome

Hello everyone, looking at the Supra brand and I think I am going this direction. Looking at the SE 450 (I'm low elevation) and I am debating a couple of things. Recently visited my local dealer and to my surprise can get a new SE 450 with every single option including stern thrusters and after tax at 153 (143 pre tax. This seems like a pretty good deal to me but I was unsure if MSRP vs. true price was a sales tactic used by all dealers. MSRP of the boat was 180,980 and boat + options pre tax is 143,675.

1) I drove boat with stern thrusters and on one hand seems gimmicky but on other hand it is a busy lake and does seem like it helps quite a bit especially when docking in chop or picking people up. $8500 option.

2) Any other win buying new vs. used? I am struggling to find a reason to buy new, the used boat actually has a longer warranty because they purchased a 7 year.

3) Probably a hot topic but if I bought new any better way to save on tax by buying in another state? How would the state even know that the boat lives in one state or another?

4) Best option for boat financing?

20% off MSRP is a good deal on a Supra.

Credit unions seem to have the financing options, not sure where you are located.

Thrusters on big V drive boats are becoming the new luxury. All the luxury brands offer them now.

Not a lot of difference between a 20 and 21.

New captain chair, new gatorstep flooring options, thrusters, new windshield, new steering wheel with heated wheel and controls.

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Advantage to buying new is the warranty but if you get a longer warranty with the used boat... just keep in mind that if you plan on selling the boat in the next couple years the warranty does not transfer to the 3rd owner. That could deter a buyer. But if you plan on keeping the boat for more than 5 years than the longer warranty would appeal to me.

I would say just whichever boat you like better and get the best deal on.

When you go register the boat in your name is when they collect the sales tax.

Unfortunately, I dont think there is way out of that.

The only way to reduce sales tax is to trade in a boat and you can subtract the price of the boat from the new boat and only pay sales tax on the difference.

Essex Boat Loan Bank of the West would be a good place to start with the boat loan if you buy used. They were the best interest rate for me when I financed a boat.

Hope that helps a little.

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Originally Posted by htfit

Advantage to buying new is the warranty but if you get a longer warranty with the used boat... just keep in mind that if you plan on selling the boat in the next couple years the warranty does not transfer to the 3rd owner. That could deter a buyer. But if you plan on keeping the boat for more than 5 years than the longer warranty would appeal to me.

I would say just whichever boat you like better and get the best deal on.

When you go register the boat in your name is when they collect the sales tax.

Unfortunately, I dont think there is way out of that.

The only way to reduce sales tax is to trade in a boat and you can subtract the price of the boat from the new boat and only pay sales tax on the difference.

Essex Boat Loan Bank of the West would be a good place to start with the boat loan if you buy used. They were the best interest rate for me when I financed a boat.

Hope that helps a little.

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What rate did you get?
I'm signing for a used Supra Tuesday and got 4.5%

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Originally Posted by svienb

What rate did you get?
I'm signing for a used Supra Tuesday and got 4.5%

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I haven't given credit or anything yet but they put a default 5.99 on the price sheet which to me is absurd. It was also a 20 year though and I know nothing of boat loans so I am researching that too.

I am definitely leaning new and you guys made some good points above, I did not realize that about the third owner and that is definitely big.

You guys find a lot of value in the thrusters? I have used them a few times out on the lake and it appears they can be big in wind and chop but don't have a lot of experience lately to compare.

Anyone ever see better deals out there than 20% or is that pretty much the max? What is typical?

20% is the highest I've ever seen or heard of. Your dealer must be very motivated. Maybe needs to meet some quota with SC? I've heard some brands will rate dealerships by volume and assign future build allocations based on previous sales. That'll cause them to "fire sell" a couple boats to meet the number. Not sure if SC does that but maybe that's it. In todays market, cannot see any reason why they would have such a discount. If that's their motivation, you likely wont see it again.
Where are you located? Location might play role too.

Also when buying new, there are some crazy fees.

$450 shipping cover fee
$450 import materials fee
$2500 dealer set up fee which includes freight.

Lots of fees when buying new.
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I have a 2020 SE. Your price is good. The stern thruster option is new for 2021 so we don't have it. I would have to think really hard if it is worth the money. We put about 60 hours on our boat so far this summer and I can think of 2 situations where I wish I had a stern thruster and about 5 more where it would have been nice to have. Is that worth 8500? The SE is a big boat and I had a couple windy days where I had issues. With the wind blowing directly at the side of the boat, I was unable to turn into the wind at idol speed. My options were to turn the other way or apply more throttle. Neither were great options at the time because the wind was blowing me into shore so I was unable to turn toward the shore (too shallow). There were also a few windy days where docking would likely have been easier with a thruster. I purchased some bumpers and attached them to our pier at rubrail height to protect the boat should I rub the pier on a windy day. That solved the docking problem though I assume a thruster would make it easier on those few super windy days. If it were a $1,500 option, it would be a no brainer. For $8500, it is a tough one. The SE is fantastic. We love it. The 450 motor is more than enough power. We picked the optional 16x15 prop which does not seem to be an option for 2021 though they do have a 16x13.9. Like you, we have most options with the exception of tower speakers. I always hit my head on tower speakers and we rarely use them in prior boats so I chose to forgo them in our new boat. For me, this was a great decision since I have not hit my head once this year. The clamping board racks are worth every penny. I can put a wakeboard and a thick surf board into the same rack. The held our board well all summer and did not put a scratch on any board.

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Originally Posted by larry_arizona

Also when buying new, there are some crazy fees.

$450 shipping cover fee
$450 import materials fee
$2500 dealer set up fee which includes freight.

Lots of fees when buying new.
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These fees seem to be different from dealer to dealer. The local dealer by me charges $2000 freight, $1500 dealer prep, $450 shipping cover.

$4000 in my opinion is ridiculous for this...

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Originally Posted by Prospersigman

These fees seem to be different from dealer to dealer. The local dealer by me charges $2000 freight, $1500 dealer prep, $450 shipping cover.

$4000 in my opinion is ridiculous for this...

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The $450 shipping cover and $450 foreign materials fee is direct from Skiers.


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