[QUOTE=jarhead175;7913090]i would not have taken the boat either but i just can not see a major boat company offering a buy down on a new boat they just built,i bet you ranger would never do that,you dont need to worry about naming the boat maker because we never argue over boat brands. lol
Had two new boats this year in our club that went back for repairs. The bad transom was a Legend and a new Ranger had a wiring harness that looked like it was ran over by a fork lift before it was installed that shorted out.
Back to the OPs question...
That is a few grand overpriced. Not sure how the bass boat market compares to up here in NY but my buddy sold his 99 461VS with Merc 175 2 stroke, Fortrex TM, 2 HDS 9s, and power pole for $12.5K last year. Id pay around 10K for that boat if it was in good condition and the mechanic gave the motor the OK.
Jason Karol
http://www.facebook.com/RitAnglers
I bought a 96 boat with a 98 Mercury 225 EFI, there is a boat mechanic in Atlanta, Tx that will warranty a used motor for 2 years for $1600 (no deductible, no questions asked if it blows up after he warranties it).
He checked out my motor and warrantied it without blinking an eye because the motor had good compression had never been in to. I had no problem with paying $1600 for 2 yrs. piece of mind on a motor I knew nothing about, especially as old as it is.
sounds to high. you can get more boat for less or equal money. If you are in western ark. try the bass zone Oklahoma lots of listings there
It is in the range and we think you should be sure to shop some on your best option. in that range and a few thousand more you could just find a pristine rig that is a one owner low hours rig. This one has a power head and while that means nothing for the rest of the boat, do your homework as there are others out there. It's winter time here now and there will be some pop up.
1996 ProGator 200V
1998 Mercury 225 EFI
New Carpet
Seastar Pro Hyd Steering
Minn Kota Ultrex
Thanks everyone - I've still made no decisions, but I do think I've eliminated this boat and came to a few conclusions as I'm researching given my situation:
Dual Console (Want my son to have protection from cold weather, rain, etc.)
Single Axel Trailer (I will have to hand maneuver on occasion to get into garage)
>18 ft but <20 ft (prefer a 19.5 to an 18.5)
Clearly, other options like Power Poles, Electronics, batteries, blinker trim, hot foot, trolling motor thrust all come into play. I anticipate my adjusted budget will be around $18000 based on my research and my timeframe is January 1 - March 1.
I say stop right now and just buy something!!
if you don't, like me, your budget will continue to grow!! I started at around $24k. Now I'm right around $40k!! Haha!
Good luck with your search! There's a bunch of nice rigs for that price - just gotta find them before someone else does!