New vs Used: The Pros and Cons
Deciding to purchase a used boat instead of a new boat is one of the basic questions most buyers weigh out during the purchasing process. The main thing you must understand is that buying a used boat is nothing like purchasing a used car. The following pros and cons list can potentially help you in making your decision.
Pros of Used:
- Price: Buying a used boat will cost less initially than that same model as new.
- Payment: If you’re financing the lower initial price means it may be a payment that better suits your monthly budget.
- It’s Used: If you’re just getting into boating some people like that the boat already has some wear and tear. They feel like they won’t be tearing up a “new boat”.
Cons of Used:
- History: There is often little history available on the boat. You cannot pull a “Carfax” on a used boat. At this point you need to ask for service records to better understand the maintenance that was performed (or not performed) on that boat.
- No Warranty: Depending on the age there may be little or no warranty left on the boat. This means you’ll have to cover any unexpected expenses from components breaking.
- Limited Selection: Trying to find a color or model you like that is used can often be difficulty – especially if you want to find one in great shape.
- Travel Required: In order to find a good used boat you will often have to drive (or even fly) some distance in order to find what you are looking for. This can be costly and time intensive as you sometimes don’t realize what you’re getting until you see it first-hand.
- Limited Support: Buying a used boat often means you’re picking the boat up and learning things on your own.
Pros of New:
- History: Since the boat is new you know where the boat has been and not been. It’s New!
- Warranty: New boats come with a manufacturers warranty that will cover the costs to fix anything that breaks unexpectedly.
- Selection: You often have the ability to choose between multiple colors of your desired model or even custom order one. This means you can get exactly what you want.
- Get it Now: Since it’s onsite there is not traveling to go see it and the boat can often be ready in a day or so. This means you’re on the water much faster.
- Support: Buying from a reputable dealers means you often get much more hands on support. This is why we created Current Care!
Cons of New:
- Price: A new boat will cost more. It’s new!