Wanting a price on a new Ranger and dealers don’t seem interested. WTH!!

[hortonstn]

Call Pete at pros choice I love my nitro there's. no dought he's the man

[blkfalc4]

When I was in the market for a boat a Ranger dealer would not budge from his price or "throw" anything in. The A**hat even told me... well if you do buy it someone else will. The sales guy didn't even want to talk to me when he found out that was looking for a z119 or 519 and not a z520 or 21. I told him that my garage size limits me on the boat I can get. The dude acted like I was a 3rd class citizen when I asked about a 19 footer. I walked out and went next door to the Triton store who bent over backwards for me.

Mind you I also had an issue with a skeeter store. I was dealing on a new boat over the phone and told they guy I would take it. The transaction was very easy. When I tell him ill be down next week to pick up and finish signing every thing he said ill see ya then.

His manager called me the next day and said someone paid full retail and the boat was sold. I already gave them $1,000 (I think) via providing my CC # over the phone that was not returnable if i backed out to hold the boat. The manager said he had the same boat but in white and black and would make the same deal. I declined and he told me I was color blind.

With the deposit you'd have a PSA contract. Selling the boat from under you sounds like it would be illegal.

[mysuzytoo]

I went to another State to buy my boat because of the lack of a True
Ranger dealer in central Indiana. Call Dixie marine and ask for Rudy
he will help you out and put you in a great boat.

Rudy Carpenter IS THE GUY!!!!

[Tim W]

With the deposit you'd have a PSA contract. Selling the boat from under you sounds like it would be illegal.

Im not sure how all that contract stuff works. I was pissed off though. Oh well water under the bridge.. looks like alot folks buy from outa state here. So when its that time again ill look beyond the Great state of Texas

[MidwestTexan]

I'm not sure where in IL you're located although I went to look at an 18' Z521L yesterday at VC Marine in Granite City, IL (St. Louis area) and they were fantastic to deal with. They showed me a number of boats. They were extremely knowledgeable with zero pressure. If/when I decide to get one, I'll be going there for sure!

BTW, they have that 18' Z521L on sale for $69K. Seems like a decent deal if that's what you're in the market for. It's a beautiful boat!

[botrdav]

I made a call for a price on a new Ranger to one of the suggested dealers and one of the referred sales person. Had a great conversation about the model I want to order but when I received the email with the price it was to the penny the same amount you can get pricing a boat on the Ranger site. Is this the future of the Ranger pricing?

[j791]

No, they should price the boat using the Ranger site but then give you a “discount” to bring the price down. They are not giving you a discount because you have no other offers. Hopefully you did not tell them you were having trouble finding a good dealer...that’s like blood in the water $$$$.

[jc2bg]

Ranger has had a policy of MAP (minimum advertised price) for the last few years now. If you search the history of threads on this site, questions about new boat pricing come up frequently. We have had a couple in the last week. And they always go the same way. “Cold” calls by telephone or email (or snail mail) typically result in a quote of MAP price. The dealer does not know you, so a remote quote is treated the same as advertising. Also, there is little movement (sometimes no movement) off the base price of the boat/motor/trailer they are quoting for you, as delivered from the factory. However, there is still plenty of room for negotiation on dealer-installed items and dealer labor, if you care to follow that strategy. Also, new non-current inventory (e.g., a 2017 boat still on the lot in 2018) can be significantly discounted. Welcome to the forum! — JC

[botrdav]

I talked to Pete for quite some time and when I received my quote which was quick it was to the penny MAP.

[captainrab]

That’s why I bought used. Great boat but not into the haggle ho down plus you save lots of money if you can work on things. Having said that, I absolutely love my Ranger. I know I’m biased but my goodness after 9 years and 3 different boats it feels good to be back home, :)

[Cbumpilori]

Whether it be new or used, if the person who is doing the selling wants to be a "jerk" then they don't need yours's or anyone's else's business. I don't care what their selling, Ranger, Sheeter, Basscat or whatever! Too many good folks out there with good boats!

[bloodman]

Cant figure out how some of these people survived the recession. Got my own experience and wont be going to the little guys ever again.

[j791]

All I can say is I ordered a 2019 Z185 with zero accessories and received well below MAP pricing. Did some dealers quote MAP pricing? They sure did. When I told them their quote was several thousand over another dealer...every one of them said they could go lower. They will not go lower if they think you have no better options. Ask every dealer for their lowest drive off the lot price...do not just ask for their lowest price...only off the lot price. (PS...you can deduct the trolling motor and fish finder off the price...Ranger allows it...pretty cool for guys that want to install their own equipment.)

[capt odie]

Make them a offer with all the things you want.

[botrdav]

I am getting ready to order a 518 L which will be my 15th new boat purchase. I do know a bit about boat purchasing but to a referral on this thread I called Bedford sales which is about an hour from my home and spoke with Karen on Monday am and told her what I am seeking and she said she would have Sam whom I have met previously call me in the afternoon which never happened. The next morning I called Bedford as I was adding a few options and spoke with Sam and he assured me he would call me by noon with a price and that was Tuesday. It is Wednesday and still no call, this is my first experience with a few dealers not wanting to sell me a boat. I am talking with a few out of state sales persons that are very responsive but as far as Bedford Sales goes I think I will take a pass with them. I tried to buy my last Ranger from them and found 2 salesmen were very unknowledgeable about their product.

[bloodman]

I am getting ready to order a 518 L which will be my 15th new boat purchase. I do know a bit about boat purchasing but to a referral on this thread I called Bedford sales which is about an hour from my home and spoke with Karen on Monday am and told her what I am seeking and she said she would have Sam whom I have met previously call me in the afternoon which never happened. The next morning I called Bedford as I was adding a few options and spoke with Sam and he assured me he would call me by noon with a price and that was Tuesday. It is Wednesday and still no call, this is my first experience with a few dealers not wanting to sell me a boat. I am talking with a few out of state sales persons that are very responsive but as far as Bedford Sales goes I think I will take a pass with them. I tried to buy my last Ranger from them and found 2 salesmen were very unknowledgeable about their product.

I think some of these guys try harder not to sell stuff. I think there is class they go to on how to avoid people.

[botrdav]

Exactly! Well Stated.

[greg061]

have you bought a set of spark plugs from the dealer. i know my local dealer has them marked way up. i can order my spark plugs online and pay $11 a piece for them but my local dealer wants almost $23 for them.

[Hoffy1337]

I am getting ready to order a 518 L which will be my 15th new boat purchase. I do know a bit about boat purchasing but to a referral on this thread I called Bedford sales which is about an hour from my home and spoke with Karen on Monday am and told her what I am seeking and she said she would have Sam whom I have met previously call me in the afternoon which never happened. The next morning I called Bedford as I was adding a few options and spoke with Sam and he assured me he would call me by noon with a price and that was Tuesday. It is Wednesday and still no call, this is my first experience with a few dealers not wanting to sell me a boat. I am talking with a few out of state sales persons that are very responsive but as far as Bedford Sales goes I think I will take a pass with them. I tried to buy my last Ranger from them and found 2 salesmen were very unknowledgeable about their product.

My experience with Bedford’s as well. They simply don’t get back to you. I asked for a price last Friday and I have never heard back. This is the second time this has happened. They have a boat I really like but I have concluded that if their service is similar to their responsiveness on pricing a boat than I am not interested. This also happened with another dealer in northern Illinois called Anglers Edge in Rockford. These two dealers lost my respect and will never hear from me again and to be honest they probably can care less. This left a negative feeling towards Ranger because these dealers represent them. I am in retail and would never dream of not calling a potential customer back. Especially if they were going to spend over 70k with my business. I really believe Ranger needs to reevaluate who represents them as dealers.

Since my my original post I have been contacted by some great folks with great advise and even dealers reaching out to me to help out and I sincerely thank each and everyone of you for your time and efforts. I still plan on purchasing a Ranger or similar at some point but it will be from a dealer who is genuinely interested in my business.

Thanks again for all the great responses.

[WjColdWater]

MAP pricing on a cold call is all Ranger dealers are allowed to quote. This is per their contract from Ranger. Why not go to the dealership and have a face to face? Dealers get guys fishing all the time on pricing. They don’t know who you are or if your even serious on a purchase. Maybe go to Bedford Sales and have a sit down with Sam and Karen. That way you can decide if they are the right dealership for your purchase.
Wayne