I am taking a buyer out for a "test drive" on our Laveycraft this Sunday. There is no way I will even pull the boat to the lake without a non-refundable deposit. By the time I get the boat pulled out there (1 hour tow each way), spend some time on the water with the buyer, tow it back, and wash the boat the better part of my day is pretty much shot.
What would be a fair amount of $$$ to ask for a deposit (non-refundable)before taking the guy out?
I would say a $500.00 deposit if he is truly interested is a good place to start. But dont expect the deposit before you hit the water. He is out to test drive the boat, so make the test somewhat short. Let him see how it runs and so forth. At the end of the test let him know that you will need a 500 deposit to hold the boat for him and give him a time line to get you the rest of the money. Just my .02
If anyone ever asked me for one I wouldn't even go look at the boat.
Just plan on a day on the water. Have him meet you there, take them for a ride and have fun. It is a more powerful tool anyway. "Look how much we go boating... you are going to love this thing!"
Then, they can pay in full, wipe the boat down, hook it up and leave with it.
Deposits are for contracts... not test drives.
i with froggy,if i was interested and needed a test ride and you asked for a deposit i would move on to the next 5000 boats for sale.market is rough and just to have a potential buyer is worth the hour or so to hit the lake.take him out at 7 in the morning if your worried about him having a good time free it will be cold and not much fun.
i with froggy,if i was interested and needed a test ride and you asked for a deposit i would move on to the next 5000 boats for sale.market is rough and just to have a potential buyer.take him out at 7 in the morning if your worried about him having a good time free it will be cold and not much fun.
I'm with you guys on this one. Way too many boats for sale for someone to put a non refundable deposit to test drive a boat. Has the buyer seen the boat in person? If so then you know he is a serious buyer and wants to see how it handles and not just looking for a free ride.
Ditto....I would NEVER agree to a deposit before test driving anything!!! It is a boat... the last time I checked you can only drive them in that wet stuff,
H-2-O
unless, you want to have them sit in the drivers seat and make vroom vroom sounds and what not...
How bad do you want to sell it? The seller always has to be motivated to sell.
Hell, lift that bad boy into a pool with a hoist and what not, let them fire that bad boy up, and then tie er up to a truck or house and let er rip...balls out man!!!
Seriously, NO WAY NO HOW!!! Dont ask for a deposit... ask for cash after he drives the boat...and likes it, obviously.
The ONLY way I would EVER ask for a deposit, is if it were absolutely, positively TURNKEY! :rollside: :rollside: :rollside:
When I was selling my Nordic I had alot of jerk offs calling me non stop. If they weren't a serious buyer I'd tell them it's going to be 500 bucks for me to pull it out of my shop, and elsinore is only 45 minutes away.. I told them 250 if they want to go out on the lake for a day, but they get to wash it when were done. LOL...
When I finally did have someone that was interested, and I was pretty convinced he had the cash no deposit required. We were meeting 3 1/2 hours away from my house, so we had the whole "Your absolutely sure you want this boat" discussion before I drove up there. When I got there though, I filled the boat up with fuel, filled the coolers up with drinks / liquor etc.. and we had a nice fun day out on the lake. Kicked back in a cove for awhile, and let them get a feel for what it would be like to own the boat. As froggy said, they hooked it up and drove away.No muss no fuss.
Your better off treating them like a river guest, if you think their genuinely interested in your boat.
RD
The ONLY way I would EVER ask for a deposit, is if it were absolutely, positively TURNKEY! :rollside: :rollside: :rollside:
But is there really such a thing when it comes to boats??? Others have claimed such...
The ONLY way I would EVER ask for a deposit, is if it were absolutely, positively TURNKEY! :rollside: :rollside: :rollside:
T scores a knock out! ....however the referee has reviewed the tape...and the knockout blow was landed in the testicle area, therefore disqualifying her from her title......Sorry T....
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