Dealer trade.. or....?

Im ready to get something new. I've been trying to sell what I have, with no luck. Its not a bad boat, an 02 Calabria Shortline Comp. Perfect pass, shower, stereo, basically loaded. I have run 2 ebay auctions, and listed it on boat trader, and here. How else should I try to sell it? What could I expect to get for it on dealer trade? NADA doesnt seem to have a trade-in value.

I'm letting my dealer sell on my behalf, commonly referred to as consignment. They'll charge me 7.5% of the sale, but it opens up several new buyers for you as the dealer will be able to offer financing on the spot. Luckily the boat I'm trying to buy is at the same dealer on consignment, so the commission goes down to 5%.

If you're just ready to get rid of it, and you don't mind getting raped, trade it in. Usually, the dealer will take 20-30% of whatever they LIST it at, not necessarily what they sell it for.
Example: I'm selling my boat right now for $26k. It's probably worth $27-28k, but when I wanted to trade it in, the dealer was going to offer me $18k. You're much better off selling the boat on your own.

Exactly what Scott said.

Another bonus with letting the dealer sell for you(at least hear in Utah), you only pay tax on the difference between the two boats.

I had my dealer sell my old boat....easy and painless for me. Never answered a call or explained an option.

We never had a agreement as to what I would be charged, I just told them what I would be willing to take....and that is what they gave me. I will assume that they made their share of money, but that is what they are in the business of doing.

i done the same as E.J. they should sale yours if they want to sell you a new one at non charge my dealer did not charge me

I am having my dealer sell mine also. He is charging me a set fee. It,s nice because it is inside and they are open seven days a week. They put it in boat trader and craigfs list. The one thing i like is they could also take care of financing if needed for prospective buyers.

Thats all good, but here is the downer... If I have a dealer sell it, I cant use it while its being sold, and who knows how long it will be to sell... spring is here, and we are going out every chance we get. I'd rather have a boat that I want to get rid of to ski behind, than no ski action at all!

I ordered my boat earlier in the year, I had worked out a trade in price with the dealer that was acceptable to me, but also had the option to still sell the boat myself until the new boat came in. I sold it on saturday, for a few grand more then I was getting on trade, and the new boat will be here this week! worked out good!

That's interesting Swerver, my boat is on consignment and it's sitting in my lake right now. If someone wants to see the boat, they either come to my house or I bring the boat to them.

I think you always pay tax on only the difference between your "trade" and the new boat/car don't you? Or is every state different?

I think winter is a great time to buy a boat, but not so good to sell it. You will have better luck trying to sell it outright when the weather is nicer and people are thinking about being in the water. Consignment seems like a great way to offload your boat, but you may end up having to take trad in value for it if your new boat comes in before the old one sells. 2 of my friends just did that this year. What is the hassle worth to you? Also, what is your timeline for the new boat? Can you wait?

Eric

That's the painful part for me... waiting. I've got a boat that's 2K below NADA with a 5 year extended warranty and the dealer hasn't had a single call on it yet. It's only been a week, but dammit, I want the new one!! And you're correct about only paying the tax on the difference.

I advertised and located a buyer for my boat on ebay then ran the closing through my dealer, this created security for buyer and seller and allowed me to only pay sales tax on the difference. Dealer didn't charge me anything for the paperwork since I was buying a boat through them.

George, did you use a fix priced format or auction? No one seems to want to buy 20k+ boats on ebay... offers come in like.. "I'll give you 12k for it" ect.. Yeah right! I listed it at auction for 18k starting bid and no bids... I listed it again with a reserve at 18k, and a starting bid at $5k.. they bid it up to 12k :-(
Its listed in boat trader now at 3.5k below low book. No hits. Selling boats sucks! And if your not on the internet, your not hard core enough to be looking for boats, so I've skipped the paper until it stops raining here in CA.




Im not going to loose my ass on this...

I just bought my boat from a consignment place and it was painless for the seller and me. I saw what the seller wanted for the boat, made my offer and once we settled on a price i test drove it and bam!! it was over in two days.

Do not give up on eBay. Sold a boat on ebay for $54,000 last year at the end of February to a guy who drove from Salt Lake City to my place in San Diego to pick it up. No other place to get the mass exposure that I know of. Good Luck.

...another good site to sell on. (and buy)
www.UsedBoats4Sale.com