Hey all:
By now, many of you are aware of my F&S search and the issues I've faced trying to upgrade from my PT175 and still keep the wife happy. No easy task to be sure!! So here's the current status and a call for some feedback from those more knowledgeable than I.
First, I found a nice 2002 Nitro 188 with 150 XR6. A guy who is semi-local bought it new in 2002 and has used it for all of 20 hours. Due to military obligations, he has had the boat stored for the past three years (with stabil of course!) and has only run the motor on muffs. He is now selling and I have an offer outstanding to him. The wife and I saw the boat last Sunday and it looks gorgeous! The hull is still shiny and new looking without a single scuff even on the rub rail! The interior is slightly worn, but typical of what you would expect on a boat that's five years old. He will have the local BPS Tracker dealer do a full check out of the boat stem to stern, including motor compression test. He'll also pull the old gas and put in new. And, of course, the offer is contingent on a full on-water test after BPS is done with the full work up. The problem is that my offer is less than what he owes on the boat. So if he agrees to my price, how would this work? Does he take my check and pay off his loan and then sign the boat over? That makes me a bit nervous (although I have been to this guy's house!). Or is there some other way? Since the boat hasn't been used in the past three years, the registration has lapsed and I am wondering if that will cause problems as well. Sorry if the questions seem basic, but in the past, for stuff like this (i.e., cars, motorcycles, etc.), I've usually only purchased from folks that have had full title without any liens.
Second, for those worried that I am overly compromising on the fish and ski, the wife and I discussed this at length. Since she'd be happy with the F&S and the price would be good if the seller accepts it, I get to keep the PT175. That way, she gets used to learning how to drive a lower powered aluminum boat (i.e., the PT175) to get used to boat driving - then in a few years, I get to sell the PT175 and buy a bigger bass boat as she gets comfortable with the F&S! Not a bad trade-off, huh?
Thanks for any words of wisdom on the selling front!
By now, many of you are aware of my F&S search and the issues I've faced trying to upgrade from my PT175 and still keep the wife happy. No easy task to be sure!! So here's the current status and a call for some feedback from those more knowledgeable than I.
First, I found a nice 2002 Nitro 188 with 150 XR6. A guy who is semi-local bought it new in 2002 and has used it for all of 20 hours. Due to military obligations, he has had the boat stored for the past three years (with stabil of course!) and has only run the motor on muffs. He is now selling and I have an offer outstanding to him. The wife and I saw the boat last Sunday and it looks gorgeous! The hull is still shiny and new looking without a single scuff even on the rub rail! The interior is slightly worn, but typical of what you would expect on a boat that's five years old. He will have the local BPS Tracker dealer do a full check out of the boat stem to stern, including motor compression test. He'll also pull the old gas and put in new. And, of course, the offer is contingent on a full on-water test after BPS is done with the full work up. The problem is that my offer is less than what he owes on the boat. So if he agrees to my price, how would this work? Does he take my check and pay off his loan and then sign the boat over? That makes me a bit nervous (although I have been to this guy's house!). Or is there some other way? Since the boat hasn't been used in the past three years, the registration has lapsed and I am wondering if that will cause problems as well. Sorry if the questions seem basic, but in the past, for stuff like this (i.e., cars, motorcycles, etc.), I've usually only purchased from folks that have had full title without any liens.
Second, for those worried that I am overly compromising on the fish and ski, the wife and I discussed this at length. Since she'd be happy with the F&S and the price would be good if the seller accepts it, I get to keep the PT175. That way, she gets used to learning how to drive a lower powered aluminum boat (i.e., the PT175) to get used to boat driving - then in a few years, I get to sell the PT175 and buy a bigger bass boat as she gets comfortable with the F&S! Not a bad trade-off, huh?
Thanks for any words of wisdom on the selling front!
