boat shopping blues!

[fasttrucker]

well just got back from velocity :o and another donzi dealer. :cool: got a call from sonic salesman. :confused: just think ill go camping this year instead. :rolleyes: try again next week off trucking to ohio tomorow.boat in fl 26zx. is still availble but cant get down there to see just yet.maybe ill take up golf. frown

[Rootsy]

patience my friend... it truly is a virtue... i'd been looking off and on without anything turning up for a while when suddenly one day i was on my way to the lake went by the local marina and there she sat.. the following weekend she was in the yard... it's only May.. no need stressing over things and falling into a boat you won't enjoy... take your time... and you'll end up much happier in the end...

and somehow i don't a 3 wood can compare to WOT in a donzi :D

[JimG205]

Fasttrucker-
Patience Patience Patience-you've got to remember one thing,whatever you buy your going to want to be happy with it,don't jump the gun,keep all options open.I originally was looking for an 18,looked for over a year and a deal pops up out of nowhere on a mint leftover ' 97 16 classic V8 that was just beautiful.If your heart is set on a donzi,don't settle for anything else--you'll definetly regret it.Good luck-keep us posted. Jim :rolleyes:

[roadtrip se]

Your situation reminds me alot of mine about two years ago. I call the boat "roadtrip" due to the efforts and travels I went through to find the right 22 Classic.

First boat: Leftover 502 boat in Chicago. Agree on price, send deposit, and salesman calls and tries to bump me on the price of the trailer.
Get deposit back.

Second boat: 25 hour boat on the Potomac. Agree on price, send deposit, drive from Cinci to DC. Boat looks and drives like it has 1025 hours on it. Get deposit and leave.

Third boat: Leftover boat in Atlanta. Write deposit check, drive from Texas to Atlanta, get caught in all day traffic jam, pay for boat, go to lake for test drive, boat won't start due to a kinked fuel line under the deck. Ask for refund and go home.

Fourth boat: The Roadtrip ordered from a Texas dealer and delivered in under a month. Happy trouble free boating ever since.

My advice is simple. Decide what you want, start looking with some patience, and buy when you find something that is completely right for you.

Goodluck,

Todd

By the way, mine ain't for sale!

[fasttrucker]

found 98/28zx,single 502 mag $55000 wonder if single 502 is good enough for 28 boat dont they put twins in these? :confused:

[mattyboy]

might be a typo could be a 26
a 28 with a single 502 stay away!!!

I must agree with all that has been said, my search started last year in feb, found and got what I wanted in late july, I've thought about all the boats I saw and can't imagine not having mine.
you'll know when it right

Matt

Matt

[Bryan Tuvell 33ZX]

fastrucker; my spin is close to ROADTRIPS, the right one will come your way, 2 days ago you were heading to SMLake, yesterday Fla. I can't keep up!

A 98 28ZX with a single 502 would be okay for certain applications. Keep in mind on paper the 28 is only 14 inches longer than a 26ZX and it is in the bow. The 1999 28ZX in our club is a mid 70's mph boat with twin SB's.

My spin is I would buy a used Donzi in good shape with or without the bells and whistles over any other boat. Donzi has issues in some areas as does any boat maker.
But they make one great performing boat!

OFFER $55K on this one.... They are asking $62K
2001 DONZI 26 ZX,26,Red/Black Checkered, 502 Mag, Only 39 hrs, GPS speedo, Ultimate Sony 10CD, Quick-Quiet Exhaust, Vortech - MSD ignition, 70mph, Only used in fresh water kept out of water, compass, dual batteries, Call or email 865.599.3850 or GoKevinC@aol.com (865) 982-3498
Bryan

[Digger]

fastrucker, all these posts are on the money. You have to be patient. It took me 18 months to find the boat I own now. I looked at hundreds of boats, drove hundreds of miles. You are going to spend what it costs to build a small house. It cannot be an impulse buy. Hang in there, keep looking, the boat you want is out there! good luck, I look forward to hearing the eventual success story!

[ToonaFish]

How long did it take you to chose a bride? It should take just as long to select a mistress!

Bunches,

Celene "they never should have let me ride in a 22'"

[Looped]

Fastrucker,

In time it will all come together, if you jump into something too quickly (unless you totally luck out) chances are you will spend more money on modifications and upgrades to something that you were never really satisfied with from the beginning. In the end you will probably sell it to buy what you really wanted at the beginning (a Donzi) and losing more money. It took me more than a year to get the Marina to track the owner down of the Donzi I bought that they had sitting there for 6 years with an unpaid storage charge. My Donzi was a total basket case when I got it last year but looking back I still feel that it was the right decision without any regrets.

Digger,
The cost of a small house for 60k, you are talking about a doghouse right? :D

Craig

[EricG]

Instead of Stressing...enjoy the shopping experience. I'm so looking forward to that part, when I finally am able to do it. I bought my boat before I was ready because it was a Donzi in Seattle (ask Lenny about finding them up here). It was the color I wanted, and the boat I wanted at the time...but I didn't know enough about them to know that a Small Block wouldn't be nearly fast enough, and an Alpha wasn't worth buying on a heavier boat like mine. If I could do it again, I would have shopped more and found the Boat, Motor, Drive Combo I really wanted before jumping in on the first one I found.

As we all know, selling a boat is hard - because they are expensive, specialized, and depreciate rapidly. Maybe I'm just ingorant about the shopping process (especially in the price range your talking) but it seems to me that someone who is willing to pay a fair price on a current boat should have all of the power in the deal. Just look at how many dealers are trying to get rid of 1 and 2 year old 26's and 28's - the deal is out there if your patient.

Good Luck!!!

EG

[33 Daytona]

Here is my $.o2

That 28zx with a 502 is a pretty good deal! I have a 98 with a 454mag. Before I put the Whipple on it I could go 62mph with 4 adults 100gal. of fuel 2 full coolers on a hot humid day. And if mid 60's isnt fast enough you can do what I did and add a supercharger and run it with low boost so not to hurt the engine.

P.s. if you dont want that 98zx could you tell me where I can find it. My buddy is looking for a new boat and just got screwed by a guy in detroit selling his 1998 27 formula ($60,000) and decided the day before he was suposta' deliver it, not to sell.

[RickSE]

Fasttrucker,
There's a left over 26ZX w/502 out here at the Vegas dealer. I know it's a long way from you but last I heard they were willing to deal on the boat. A friend was looking at it recently but decided to wait and order a new boat.

AUTO MARINE WAREHOUSE INC
3150 E CHARLESTON BLVD
LAS VEGAS, NV, 89104
(702) 432-6800

Also, have you considered ordering a new boat. The new 496 is a big improvement over the 454/502 and with every year that goes by Donzi builds a better boat.