www.iFourWinns.com

Hello all,
I am a prospective new boat owner. I have been looking at a 2007 H180 with a 3.0 Mercruiser. The boat is very clean and has been hardly used. I took it out today for a test ride today and I really liked it and the way it handled. The owner is asking 11000 for it. I think that I might be able to get it for 10000. What do you think about the pricing? I looked on NADA and it seems to be right in the right price range. Thoughts?
Thanks in advance.
Tim

What was the reason he/they are selling? The reason I ask is that if they are in need of the money that may change things. If NADA is validating $11,000.00, then I would offer less than that IMO. People typically don't sell anything and list it for what their bottom line would be. If they're selling it for 11K, then likely they would take $9,500 or so for it. Make sure you check everything out on the boat first...if you don't what you save on your purchase price can be taken away in a jiffy by maintenance and replaceable items. In other words, don't get overly gitty about the boat until you have a mechanic check it out. Compression check of all cylinders, prop, out drive, bellows just to name a few...Good luck and let us all know how its going or how it turns out.

Also Tim, what do you plan to use the boat for, tubing, skiing, fishing? How many people do you typically have in the boat with you? The reason I ask is that this boat is most likely very similar if not the same in regards to horse power as my old boat. I had the same engine. Although my old boat was a foot longer it still would only hit about 38-42 or so on the speedo. We loved the boat and it did good for us while tubing, but skiing forget about it. Seriously consider spending a little more money for some horse power, trust me, I think most people on this forum would suggest the same. Lack of horse power can put a damper on the things you can do. However, if you're using it to fish and cruise an in land lake then heck thats all you need.


Jim

_________________
2011 H210 SS
MerCruiser 350 MPIC/Bravo I 300hp
"Crooked Wake"


Prior Boat
1999 Bayliner 1950 CL

Thanks for the reply Jim.
I got the impression that he was selling the boat because he couldn't afford it any longer. The boat seems in excellent shape. He only used it (according to him) one time this year. And very sparingly the couple years before. Judging by the boat's appearance and interior I tend to believe him.
As far as the motor goes, It seemed to be in great condition when we were test riding it today. I too am worried about the power aspect of the smaller motor. Reading this website there seems to be a lot of people that have no trouble with the smaller motor as far as skiing goes. I'm not saying that either side is right or wrong, just is confusing for a newbie like me. I'd say probably 70% of the responses from other threads were positive in regard to the 3.0 liter's power. My initial reaction during the test ride was that it would be okay. But then again I don't have the experience that you do either.
BTW, I did offer him $9500 today and he flat out turned it down. But then again I am not the one who has the boat and is trying to get rid of it at the end of the season either. If it was priced so great then the boat would be sold by now also.
Ah the joys of buying a boat........
Tim

I agree, you can pull a skier with a 3.0. However, getting the skier up on plane is a little harder. What I've seen in the past, is a marginal skier has a hard time because they are getting plowed thru the water until the boat reaches a high enough speed to pull them up on plane. Again, it will do it but from a skier prospective its not the best scenario.

So let me understand this, its possible that he "needs the money" we think. He is selling a boat right now, which in most of the U.S. boating season is over unless you live in the souther states. Perhaps for him, his bottom dollar is what he owes on the boat? If you're still interested in the boat I would just flat out ask him what the bottom line is. He turned you down on $9500, so maybe you were right originally with an offer of $10,000. Some people get caught up in the idea of selling "There is no way Im letting this go for $1500 less than what I owe". Instead of thinking about what's prompted him to sell it in the first place i.e, job loss, money to pay off debt, again, assuming he is hard up for cash. If he doesn't need the money, and is looking to sell in order to upgrade lets say, then he can afford to sit on it. In other words, if he needs the money and the offer is reasonable which I think yours was, then take the offer and sell the boat. But in the end if he really wants to sell it, he should "play the game" and give you some insight as to what it will take to do the deal. A tip that has helped me in the past was taking COLD HARD CASH when you go! If had people tell me "no" over the phone and I've gone back to look at a particular item again, but this time with cash in hand, and let me tell you it changes things. They see the "green" and psychologically there mind starts to rethink the scenario. A verbal offer is just a verbal offer, but cash that you can see and touch obviously has a tangible aspect. Gosh I talk to much, sorry Tim, Im long winded this morning.

Me personally, Im currently selling a 1965 Mustang and I know what my bottom dollar is to make the sale, I surly don't list the car at my bottom dollar. No! I list it for a couple thousand dollars above my bottom line to possible come out with a little more than what I paid/profit, but no lower than my bottom dollar would be. See Im just rambling now .

Im curious what his reaction was about the $9500 offer....was he offended? or did he himhaw about it?

Jim

_________________
2011 H210 SS
MerCruiser 350 MPIC/Bravo I 300hp
"Crooked Wake"


Prior Boat
1999 Bayliner 1950 CL

Hi

I had a 3.0 engine in my previous boat and it was great except for when I had 7 adults onboard. It just didn't have enough HP to put it on plane anytime quick. I had to ask peeps to move infront just to get up on plane, but once there it was fine. My current boat is an H190 with 4.3 MPI and it doesn't matter how many peeps are onboard it just gets out of the water. Now I'm not a speed freak so I was happy with the 44mph of the 3.0. My 4.3 goes 50mph and I rarely ever go past 40, I do like the power and fast responce.

My two cents.

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Thank you
Denis

2007 H190 4.3 MPI
2010 Ford F150 FX4

Have to agree with Denis. On an 18' boat, a 3.0 engine is well, how can I say this...entry level. I had a 3.0 engine on my first boat and it did the job. I could get up on two skis, then drop. Getting up on one ski - forget about it. It pulled the kids skiing and it went "kinda" fast.

It wasn't long however, before I was wanting more power and speed - so we were only in that 3.0 engine for a couple of years before buying another boat.

It would be better worth you money if you can afford to buy a boat with a 4.3L MPI now instead of spending 10-11K now and trading up again in a couple of years.

If you are just starting out, you could do alright in this boat. Always takes that first boat to figure out trailering, docking, etc. That's were you make all of your mistakes before spending big money.

_________________
Scott
2008 Horizon 210 Frenzy Edition
Volvo 5.7L Gi

FOR SURE!!

_________________
2011 H210 SS
MerCruiser 350 MPIC/Bravo I 300hp
"Crooked Wake"


Prior Boat
1999 Bayliner 1950 CL

Greetings Tramey!

Pricing will depend a lot where you are located at. In my area the nicer boats can rarely be had for NADA. However the 4 cyl boats seem to be an exception. Typically the newbies are the ones to buy these only to then discover within a year or two that they want/need more. I'm not an exception to this. I bought a 4cyl FW's 15 yrs ago... while it was a decent boat it just didn't do what we wanted and was sold before that same summer was over. As a very experienced skier it got me up on one ski but I typically drank half the lake before I made it up. Thankfully we nearly stole the thing because when we sold it, the new buyer nearly stole it from us as well. You may want to consider looking for a V6 or V8... If you do (1) you'll probably have enough power to do most of the things you want even with a loaded boat... and (2) if you decide boating isn't for you it won't be such a hard sell. I'm sure it's an excellent boat but just be sure it will do everything you want and then some... Though I would rather see you hop into a slightly older well kept boat for the same money if it means a bigger motor.
Best wishes with your shopping! Keep it fun...

_________________
Current: 2006 H200 5.0 GXI SX Blue/White
Previous: 2003 H220 VP 5.7 Gi DP
Black/White

Thanks to everyone who responded! To answer the last post, I have been looking at a SeaRay 190BR that is a 1999 model year boat also. It has a 5.0 Merc on it and she rides very nice also. Seems to have been taken care of relatively well. With that age boat though it scares me to get it and then stuff starts happening to it. Being new to boating, I am not sure I am ready to take on any "projects".
The owner of the H180 that I am looking at alluded to the fact that he is selling it because his business is off and he needs to get rid of it. When I offered him 9500 he flat turned it down. Didn't seem offended, but said that he knew what the boat was worth and wouldn't take that offer. I was thinking to myself that the boat is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. My feeling is that he doesn't want to sit on it all winter long. I don't want to seem like I'm trying to hardball him either. But in my opinion, if the boat was priced great then it would have been sold by now also.
Anyhow, I told him that I would think about it and get back to him in a few days. I am pretty sure that if I offered him 10,000 he would take it. What do you all think about that price?
Thanks in advance for all the advice.
Tim

tramey-

Seems to me that if this is the boat you want, be prepared to pay asking price. If the seller kows that you want it, he may hold out until you give in. When it comes to boats, many people know that you aren't simply going to walk away over a measly thousand bucks.

Personally, I'd offer him $10,250 and tell him that you are meeting him half way between what he wants for the boat and what you really WANT to pay for the boat. See if that works.

And after you buy it, which I know you will, we will all be waiting for the photo uploads.

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Scott
2008 Horizon 210 Frenzy Edition
Volvo 5.7L Gi

Just buy mine instead....

_________________
Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

IMO, I wouldn't shy away from the 99 Searay either. If it has been maintained well, then it will be a great boat. Also, if you are in the northern part of the country, the boating season is quite short, so many boats sit idle for most of the year. My last boat was a 86 190 Horizon. It was a great boat and looked near new condition as the previous (original) owner was meticulous about the maintenance. As others have said, you may want to look at a boat with a bigger engine, otherwise, you'll probably have the H180 up for sale within a year or two. Be patient...heading into winter, you will have more leverage on you buying power. It's hard to pass up good boats, but there will be others. Just my .02.

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'99 Horizon 200

I had to unload my 2007 180 with a 3.0 for $10,000 last November. The dealer was only going to give me $8,000 on trade, so I was happy to find someone willing to pay $10,000. It was still painful considering I paid about $20K just 2 years earlier. However, I feel I got a decent deal on my 210 so it was worth every cent that I "lost" on my 180. The 3.0 is adequate and was a great first boat to learn with. However, you'll get 2-4 footitus really quick in it.

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http://youtu.be/-4ckF7u1iNk
2003 PowerQuest 260 Legend SX
2014 Lund WC 14

2007 H210 Volvo 5.7 Gi/SX (sold in 2012)
2007 H180 Volvo 3.0 (sold in 2009)

Hey, thanks again for all the great advice! I plan on using it with my two teenage boys. Nobody is a great skier yet, but they love to tube and wakeboard. But we are all novices right now. I appreciate all the great advice. Right now I think that I will stick with the H180 until we figure out if this boating thing is going to stick!!!

Awesome!! Congrats, let us know when you get it. Im fairly new to to forum and was warned about posting pictures. You have to post pictures of the boat!

_________________
2011 H210 SS
MerCruiser 350 MPIC/Bravo I 300hp
"Crooked Wake"


Prior Boat
1999 Bayliner 1950 CL