Retail Prices for New Boston Whaler Boats
Retail Prices for New Boston Whaler Boats
I may sound like an idiot here but need some advice. When purchasing a new car, one can usually buy it at a substantial discount from MSRP. Does the same situation apply to buying new boats? I bought a 2015 F-150 that stickered for $46,000 and drove it out the door for $39,000. Are new boats, specifically Whalers, sold for a bit less than MSRP? I realize that at a boat show the factory offers an incentive, but on Whaler Montauk 170s it seems to be typically $1,000. I am interested in some input and opinions from experience. Should I shop at several different dealers? I sound like a dummy here, but all my sailboats bought over the years were used, and of course those were bought below asking price. Many thanks.
Re: Retail Prices for New Boston Whaler Boats
Some may pay full price. Many do not. The market or demand drives pricing. In 2010 we bought a new left over 2009 Boston Whaler for approximately 30% below MSRP. We had to make an overnight trip as the dealer was in St Louis and we live in South Alabama. I searched the inventories of virtually every Boston Whaler dealer in the United States to find this opportunity.
Initial contact was via email with a telephone followup. Agreeing on a price took about a week of emails and telephone calls. As soon as we agreed I mailed a substantial deposit to the dealer. Other than the internet searches the process was painless.
I doubt this could be done in the current market but some discount is probably available.
I was surprised to find that the mega dealers were the least willing to offer any discount. When we started working on this buy our expectation was that the larger dealers would offer better prices due to higher sales volume. Our purchase was made from a family owned smallish dealer.
The boat business is very different from the car business.
Initial contact was via email with a telephone followup. Agreeing on a price took about a week of emails and telephone calls. As soon as we agreed I mailed a substantial deposit to the dealer. Other than the internet searches the process was painless.
I doubt this could be done in the current market but some discount is probably available.
I was surprised to find that the mega dealers were the least willing to offer any discount. When we started working on this buy our expectation was that the larger dealers would offer better prices due to higher sales volume. Our purchase was made from a family owned smallish dealer.
The boat business is very different from the car business.
Butch
Re: Retail Prices for New Boston Whaler Boats
Shop around. In 2013 when I purchased my Boston Whaler Montauk 210, I shopped three different dealers in a 200-mile radius and saved $10,000 between the highest-priced dealer and the lowest on a $53,000-boat--a big difference in price. It was easy to travel a hundred miles to save $10,000.