Used pricing...The new reality?

[bockscar]

So......stuff is finally getting a bit more real.....aka I got the cash burning a hole in my safe! lol

ive found a 2004 Tracker close to me, that im thinking of pulling the trigger on. So the NADA shows: LOW--$3700 and AVG--$4100 and its listed for $6500. Guy said he will take $5000 as the lowest.....

Well even tho I didnt think I would, especially after my last thread.....I think I wanna pay the damn $5000! I know it is over what NADA average says....and there are no extras/upgrades that should justify the price increase really. Just an old guy selling it since he's not in the best health anymore.

WHY AM I CONSIDERING IT?! Well here is my reasoning.....PLEASE talk me out of it and tell me im wrong!
-I have been searching CL for 6+ months. ALL the boats that looked nice in pics, and were 2003+ were all overpriced 2000-4000, and even $5000 over NADA average......and SELLING in days-month(or 2). Now thats not to say they got asking price....but if Im making assumptions i'd say those that sold quicker despite being way over priced....prolly sold for over what NADA average says they should've sold for. So Im thinking NADA average is a harder number to stick in the current market.

-Im a Realtor....there are A LOT more potential buyers for a house that cost $150k versus potential buyers for(even the slight increase to) a $180k house. This makes things much much more competitive....resulting in quicker sales and higher sales prices for that $150k house. Bass fishing is just getting more popular daily....and even if some can afford a big boy or new boat, they end up going cheaper since its more a casual hobby to them....further expanding the competition for the type of boat im looking for (cheaper aluminum with a 50+HP motor) from the typical $5k budget guys like me. If im trying to look smart and show off for you all....i think its called scarcity lol
-----To give you an idea of the stuff Ive seen....on the Las Vegas CL a month or so ago.....there was a 2005 17ft tracker for $8000 (nice but no upgrades/updates), and then there was also a 2012 listed for $9000 lol.....BOTH boats are no longer on Craigslist >:-(

So I think that I am gonna end up HAVING to pay higher to just compete.

-Also, this boat is a few cities over. I found a perfect 2005 tracker in phoenix a couple months ago. I called the guy and told him I was making plans to make it out on the weekend to buy it, (it was listed early in the week). I followed up with him a couple days later to further plan....and he told me he sold it a little after we were emailing back and forth. He didnt email or call me to tell me it was sold. I REALLY worry that if I find a good deal....i have to snap it up within a few days...and thats much harder the further out of town I gotta go. Logistics of driving out there, cost to drive out there, having to find and coordinate a mechanic to test boat for me. Further increases cost....plus getting screwed of showing up to another city and have the seller stand me up cuz it sold before I got there. People are inconsiderate lol

I also thought that going out of town (dallas, houston, phoenix, etc....) would save me a thousand or two.....WRONG...boats were similarly overpriced even in those cities. So the trip might just ADD to the cost....where I thought it would ultimately save me money (i.e. save a thousand on sales price, after spending $2-500 on a road trip...net a few hundred in savings)



So.....is me paying $5000 for a 2004 Tracker Pro 175, that looked to be in good shape.....look like its my reality...and a GOOD idea?....and maybe a bargain since all these JAMOKES are driving up the market prices! hahahahahah

[Rayburn Guide]

I am a Texas real estate broker. As a Realtor, you should look at NADA just as you would look at Zillow for home pricing.

[Bass AHolic]

every year NEW costs more, ..thats a fact. then the old sayin .. pay more get less each year.. then as a Old Semi Truck salesman said years go.. Each year prices go up and also Used prices as everyone cannot afford New. Now for the fishing.. Unless anyone is a Commercial Fisherman , all else is Recreation Fishing..

[bockscar]

I am a Texas real estate broker. As a Realtor, you should look at NADA just as you would look at Zillow for home pricing.

Before I go on a pages long rant on zillow.....OK, I get you! LMAO What city you in? Im in El Paso.

So maybe Im going about this like FSBO with unreal expectations!!! lol

So $5k might not be the worst money spent, if its all up to snuff is the moral of the story....right? lol I wanted to be talked out of it....even tho I think my reasoning makes sense

[bockscar]

every year NEW costs more, ..thats a fact. then the old sayin .. pay more get less each year.. then as a Old Semi Truck salesman said years go.. Each year prices go up and also Used prices as everyone cannot afford New. Now for the fishing.. Unless anyone is a Commercial Fisherman , all else is Recreation Fishing..

I morph into KVD on the water.....at least thats what I convince myself of when I refuse to stop throwing crankbaits instead of a slower presentation thatll likely catch fish! lol

I feel you.....and i definitely see that truck salesmans words are very true the longer and longer I search. I thought things would get better (pricing wise) as the year progressed.....the only difference is there may be a few more options out there at this time of year....but none of them are pricing for a firesale, and are still over priced.

Im gonna pull the damn trigger....This was THE ONE I wanted....even has the stupid red color scheme I wanted! lol

Im not getting out there til thursday at the earliest.....so someone please still talk me out of it and give me hope on waiting for a better deal. Although im super fired up, and wanted to buy one like yesterday........im trying to stay rationale. $5k out of my pocket is still pretty huge to me......especially since Im planning on needing to buy a new trolling motor (prolly terrova since I need spot lock cuz my lake can get windy) pretty soon after....and im wanting a helix9 mega ASAP, but that one will happen later.

[Rayburn Guide]

Before I go on a pages long rant on zillow.....OK, I get you! LMAO What city you in? Im in El Paso.

So maybe Im going about this like FSBO with unreal expectations!!! lol

So $5k might not be the worst money spent, if its all up to snuff is the moral of the story....right? lol I wanted to be talked out of it....even tho I think my reasoning makes sense

I’m just a bit NW of Austin.

All I can say is that it seems as though you have been looking for sometime. It also appears as though you have learned the boat market from your remarks. You are trying to utilize data from an outside source whom knows less about market value than you have already learned. NADA hasn’t seen the boat you are looking at. Let's face it, your struggling in your mind over $900. It appears to me as though you have already wasted more than $900 in time. How many more dollars do you wish to spend trying to find a unicorn?

You either her like it or you don’t. You either see the value or you don’t. Outside of that, it’s pretty simple.

[Coke]

Go get the boat. You want it, you like it, it's what you are looking for, and you can afford it. If you pass it up, how long before you find another one, and then you might be in the same situation as now. Life is too short to not enjoy the things you love, and it's obvious that you love fishing. Good luck, and show us some pictures after you get it home.

[Fishysam]

I came to buying a 1998 glass boat rigged from the factory that sold new in 1998 for 22,000$ I blew the motor up and dropped all the extras off except a crappy tm and a single color graph and traded it for 12,000 for a new boat off the floor in 2015. You as a realastate agent know how "appreciation" is happening along with the back burner to inflation, and new production is 65,000$ making used stuff in good condition worth more than NADA at this point, it's a used sellers market at that range.

Honestly if the boat is in good condition and its 1/3 the price of new what's the difference? Your just going to have to outfit it how you want, same as new...

1998 price - 22k
2017 price for literally the same boat is 65k

the dollar isn't going as far and many people aren't dropping retail on new so the used market is getting fierce.

One thing that I had issues grasping rite away is how a used glass boat worth 20k is a hard sell at 20k because someone can buy new tin for that, kinda along the lines of your 150k home vs 180..

[spookyg]

good luck with the boat. the white bass are under the sea gulls up at elephant butte!

[CigarBasser]

I didn't even bother doing the whole NADA thing.. I found the boat I wanted and ensured everything checked out and bought it.. may not have been a good value to some but to me it was the boat I wanted and I thought the price was in-line with other 518's in the same year.. Seller did agree (on his dime) to take it to a Mercury service center to have motor thoroughly checked out along with the transom and the trailer.. good luck with the purchase and get things checked out first.. but remember, it's a 2004 and things will be wrong - they just may not show themselves for awhile..

[Boostr]

I was in the same boat (Pun intended) when I bought my 07 Stratos. Could I have bought it for less, probably. Would I have found another boat with all updated electronics and extras that I was looking for, probably not. The motor, hull, and all the electrical checked out, so I bought it. Can't be happier.

[wmitch2]

Go get the boat. You want it, you like it, it's what you are looking for, and you can afford it. If you pass it up, how long before you find another one, and then you might be in the same situation as now. Life is too short to not enjoy the things you love, and it's obvious that you love fishing. Good luck, and show us some pictures after you get it home.

If YOU like it and YOU can afford it and YOU will be HAPPY with it, then go BUY it !! BUT, if YOU are always gonna think you could have done better then DO NOT buy it !!

[ECobb91]

Depending on model and motor, I think it's definitely more than a fair price to ask. I paid about 1000 more than nada and couldn't be happier. If you like the boat and it fits your needs, I'd pull the trigger. Make sure you take it for a test run and test everything from bilge to kill switch to livewell pumps. Ask to take a rod out and cast from the deck to get a feel of how big or small it fishes. Have the motor tested since that's usually the most expensive part of the boat and, even though it's awful to say, don't trust what the seller says about the condition of it until you can see for yourself...

If everything checks out, it's exactly what you're looking for and you're happy with the price, pick it up and have fun. Just don't compromise because you've been looking for months because you'll be looking at the flaws more than the benefits. It took me over a year of looking to find mine.

[bockscar]

THANK YOU EVERYONE!

I feel you and fully agree! Market value and Market Price are different...and its not always to the buyers benefit! lol

If YOU like it and YOU can afford it and YOU will be HAPPY with it, then go BUY it !! BUT, if YOU are always gonna think you could have done better then DO NOT buy it !!

This pretty much nails it. Like SOTXRG mentioned...i have been in the market for long enough that I think I have a good enough grasp on the market. Plus Ive already talked to the dude....and its literally at my home lake.....i hate to sound like one of those buyers (SOTXRG you know what kind I mean).....but it almost seems meant to be lol

[dnolen]

I know on mine the nada was way over the sellers asking price. He went off the list for the hull. He didn't add the engine or trailer value in. A lot of banks also do the same.

[bockscar]

Yea, im not that lucky! lol

Old man just hit me with "the deck needs recarpeting"....but I honestly suspected it from the get go.......with that being said! its happening boys! Even with him mentioning the carpet....im still in! I suspected it....and like i mentioned...ive been in the market a while. Hate to sound cheesey....but this seems like the one, since a lot of stuff has been falling into place to help with this purchase. Im not sure ill get a 2004+ for less than this...at least in my area. Competition is stupid thick in my budget!

[CigarBasser]

Awesome now go enjoy!

[bockscar]

Already planning on my excuse to tell game and fish when its not registered to me yet cuz im fishing on it till sundown the day I buy it! lol Just hope its just the carpet that HAS to be done asap! and its not an avalanche of stuff! Wish me luck bros....hopefully pics inbound instead of "I hate life and boat seller" posts!