Dealer Service in Bay Area—What to Consider?

I am a newb and looking at buying our first boat. The two boats are Sanger V215 and Centurion Air Warrior. Close to where I live (East Bay) are two Centurion dealers. The Sanger Dealer is not that close. I would prefer to buy used, but worry I will not be able to find service. Here are my questions:

How important is buying from a dealer so you receive good service down the road? I heard that dealers give priority to people who buy from them. Is this a correct assumption?

Are there any dealers in the SF Bay Area that better to deal with than others? Any I should avoid. I am looking at Ultimate Sports in Livermore and San Ramon Boat Center,

Which boat Sanger or Centurion?

Thank you for your opinion, and give details please I am not trying to start a bashing thread. Just want some education here

Do a wakeworld search on both of these boats and see what you come up with. There is a ton of info about both boats on here.

IMO buying a boat for the dealer instead of the boat itself is a bad idea. Understand that you only need to take it to a dealer if it's a warrantee issue. For non warrantee work you can bring it to any reputable boat mechanic. This forum would be a great place to find someone that you can trust with your boat.

Don't rush your decision and educate yourself on both boats. Post in the find a third section and try to ride behind both boats.

Most important DEMO DEMO DEMO and choose the boat that you like.



With that said I own a Sanger V210 and love it ! I bought Sanger because of the quality,price and the GREAT wake.

Not sure about the Centurion, but if you buy a Sanger with Mercruiser powerplant, there are a ton of independant certified Merc repair facilities to have your warranty work done and you don't have to worry about dealer loyalty. Another vote for Sanger here, I'm on my third one, but it's important to demo to see for yourself.

If you are going to buy a boat go to Sporting Edge in Antioch. Good family store, great people, and service. They'll do an oil change while you wait so you don't have to go back and forth. Talk to Mike or Kelly (owner and owner's daughter) I have no affiliation with the dealer at all, just that impressed with them every time I go there. Tell then Peter with Elite V C4 sent you.

Don't worry too much about the dealer, you'll just overpay on a used one.
Being in the East Bay you are not far from a few dealers. I bought my Sanger used and have not had any problems getting it serviced. I never had any warranty issues to deal with, so never had to deal too much with the dealer (which is Central Valley Marine, maybe 2 miles from my house in San Jose).
For regular service, take it to Top Side Marine in San Jose (just off 880 near 101 in N. San Jose), they are great mechanics, honest guys and definitely Sanger experts.
Can't comment much on the Centurion boats as I ever never ridden behind one or know anyone with one, but the 215 is an excellent boat and you'll be happy. I think a friend of mine might be selling his nice 215 if you're interested.
Anyway, I'd look to pick up a used one now before the summer time pricing really kicks in.

I personally have had much better experiences with Sangers. Wake quality, boat finish, drive, etc. World class boat on a budget.

They've got a great staff up at Delta Sport Boats, also in Antioch. Ask for Jody!

Second vote for Delta Sport Boats in Antioch, great all around!

Don't worry about dealers too much. My experience with Delta Sport Boat differs a bit and would qualify for another one of those "neverending dealer from hell" stories, but there are plenty of options if you have a bad experience, which I will utilize! In the bay area for Sanger service you have Tracy Boat Sales, Central Valley Marine, Salinas Valley Marine, and now that Marine Max is taking over Sanger as well, they can be of service. I have never had any issues taking my old Sanger to other dealerships.

Shawn

Jack, I've got my '05 Master Craft X2 for sale right now if you're interested. It's listed in the used boats section of the clasifieds a ways down the page. I'm also located in the east bay. The boat has the remainder of the Master Craft Warranty which is about a year and 2 months (the new boat warranty on the Sangers and Centurions is only 1 year unless you buy an extended warranty). The guys as Norcal Master Craft know the boat and would treat you great. They are back to doing all their service work in-house and are concentrating on customer service (something that is considered lacking in many of the local dealerships). In fact Tony (the sales manager) would be happy to answer questions about the boat. They'd also be happy to handle transferring warranty or organizing financing.

That said.... If you are looking to buy new I highly recomend Sanger's. The build quality is great for a boat of their price point. The wake is nice also. My last Sanger was a great boat. San Ramon boat center took OK care of me, though I frequently had to wait for warranty work which kept me off the water at times. Now that they're no longer selling Sangers I would look to Tracy Boat Center. Talk to Scott Henderson over there. He's a great guy and would take good care of you.

BTW, shoot me an e-mail if you interested

evan2972@yahoo.com

If you are going to buy used, then don't worry about the dealer. If you have any warranty issues I would contact the factory directly. I have done so with centurion in Merced and have received AAA+ service. I believe Sanger is there also. Both boats have the same powerplant, both are distributed by Kal Kustom in Fremont. Can't go wrong with either boat but if you buy used, you may find more inventory with the the Centurion since they build more boats than Sanger. There is a boat repair shop in Fremont called the boat dock and they do some work for Kal Kustom. I highly recommend Topside Marine in San Jose. They would be my first choice

Thanks for the input and keep it coming

Topside Marine is a service only outfit, so they get you in and out and do a great job, Jim is the best inboard boat tech in the bay area and beyond. They won't sell you stuff you don't need but will sell you anything you want for your boat and keep you out on the water having fun.

Jack, I highly advise buying my boat... LOL!!

Nor-cal Mastercraft is right there at 580/680 junction. They'll be happy to honor the warranty and handle financing/title transfer.

Can't beat a barely used Master Craft for the same price as a new Centurion.

evan2972@yahoo.com

I second the sporting edge in Antioch. Great customer service and family owned and operated.