Originally Posted by
jc2bg
I’ll take a stab, bearing in mind that I ordered the same rig 2 years ago and that individuals all have different perspectives:
First and foremost, you do have several weeks to make most of your final final decisions, but try not to drive your dealer crazy. That said, crucial strategy number 2 is that you can negotiate with your dealer anything that the dealer can install, potentially saving you mucho dinero, but you can’t negotiate with Ranger: anything you order from the factory will cost you full price. This goes for battery upgrades, electronics, et cetera. Jack plates is a tricky area, as it would take substantial extra labor for your dealer to install at their shop, as opposed to when Ranger initially hangs the engine.
It is probably not worth it to upgrade to the L. What you end up paying for, primarily, is the electronic dash switches, padded deck, and waterline striping. The sum of these items, assuming that you wanted them, is [in my mind] less than the premium Ranger charges for the L. If you want all these items enough to pay the difference, there you go. Just remember that every extra item you add to a boat is something else that can go wrong today or be hard to replace 10-20 years from now....
You can’t order traction pad as a factory-installed option. However, there is nothing on a current L boat that your dealer cannot order [or you order from Ranger Parts] if you are willing to pay the extra installation or do it yourself. Some items, obviously, are much easier to install than others. Bear in mind that your dealer a) probably has experience in doing all kinds of aftermarket upgrades, and b) these upgrades are potentially negotiable *at the dealer level.*
A fixed jack plate might help you a little in shallow water, but not tremendously. On the other hand, a hydraulic plate can be very useful in adjusting to changing situations. That said, I’m running a fixed plate now, simply because I didn’t want the complication of a hydraulic plate which tends to vibrate loose on Lake Erie, didn’t want the extra weight of the hydraulic plate, and certainly didn’t want to pay the premium price for it. Idling through water as shallow as 2 feet, I feel about 25% more comfortable with hydraulic than fixed, but to me that’s not worth it. Assess down the road.
I hardly ever use a cover. Too much work for me. Flat covers are fine.
Radios are typically not worth it. Bluetooth speakers are awesome these days, and built-in speakers [see above about extra gizmos] have a tendency to cause more trouble than they’re worth.
Not a great ski boat for kids that small. Although the G2 has awesome low end torque, and might do okay at low speeds with the Rx4 prop.
You always, always want to make your electronics deals away from Ranger. Not that they are crazy high, but they are plenty high, and there are big savings to be had when you go self-install or dealer-install. Electronics are not that hard to install, and you can get exactly what you want once the boat is delivered, taking advantage of sales and dealer discounts. Always try to get dealer labor thrown in!
Taxes, prep, freight are what they are. Dealer can’t change fixed costs, but everything else [aside from Ranger’s end] can be negotiated. MAP pricing is a semi-firm starting point for all Ranger dealers, which is why you need/want to take advantage of everything you can get installed *anywhere else.* [Just not crazy shade-tree mechanics.] The deposit depends entirely on your relationship with the dealer. The more solid your relationship and history with that dealer, the less the deposit. It also helps if you’re not ordering something so different/unique that they could never sell it if you get struck by lightning [heaven forbid].
Sounds like you have your ducks in a row. Feel free to pm if you have more questions. — JC
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