**eBay Warning** 1997 Donzi 22 Classic

[DudeHoss]

I posted a thread about this about a week ago. I bought this boat on eBay a few weeks back. I drove almost 17 hours to Indiana to buy this boat from this 22 year old kid.
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This is a 1997 Donzi 22 Classic W/ Mercruiser 454 Magnum!! This Boat is Really Nice. I just built a New Home and with this I have so much to do, I am selling some of My Toys, already have two other boats, and No Time to run this one!! The Outside of this Boat is Really Sharp!! It all Shines Super Bright.. There are No major scratches, nicks or gouges!! It is Very Slick and has a Good Shine.. The Inside is also perfect, the Seats and Carpet are Red and White to match the boat!! The Motor Runs and Shifts Perfect!! This Motor is Super Strong, It is in Perfect Condition, Low hours. The Trailer is a 1999 Fast Load all Aluminum I Frame trailer, this is Very Very Nice!! This Boat will Cruise Real Nice in th 60's, It has Through Transom Exhaust and has a Awsome Throaty Roar!! VERY COOL!!! Don't miss this Beautiful VERY Well Maintained DONZI!!

I am relisting this boat because the winning bidder could not meet the terms of sale. They are very simple... Please read before bidding!!!

Condition: The Outside is in Excellent Shape, Shines Super Bright!! The Inside is almost Perfect!! The Motor Runs and Shifts Perfect!! The Trailer is VERY Nice!!
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When my father and I arrived, the boat was no where near close to AS DESCRIBED. This boat has multiple (about 5) different hull penetrations. The Gel Coat is cloudy scratched and the rub rail has a kissed plenty of docks. The bow has hit a dock and is chipped & dented. The Keel has multiple gouges and will need to be repaired. The hydraulic system is full of water and pukes swarf (puss) out when used. The hydraulic pump is on its last leg and whines very loud when used. We never bothered to start the boat because we were not interested. We did pull the dipstick on a motor that we were told had a service and oil change 3 hours ago to find black tar on the dipstick. This boat is COMPLETELY MISREPRESENTED! As if that wasn't enough, it is very apparent that this Donzi has been under water or the bilge has been full of water for a very long time. The engine mounts and the oil pan are corroded away and need to be replaced before the boat is used. The motor is leaking quite a bit of oil. The main bracket behind the engine is so rusty and corroded that you can break it apart by tapping on it. Someone has painted over a rusty engine and the paint is flaking off of the engine.

BUYERS BEWARE... If you know someone bidding on this boat let them know!!!

[joel3078]

Assuming this is the ebay item # 4653555368

Link to add is
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4653555368

View bid list (31 bids so far)
http://offer.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewBids&item=4653555368

Dude - I strongly suggest you call (not email) ebay on your own behalf and tell them what is going on. You can also contact the bidders yourself and tell them the same story. If you need help in how to do this call me 763-277-6365. Ebay is not going to listen to a 3rd party telling them about it. You have clout as you were a winning bidder and saw the boat. What you want is ebay to cancel the add due to seller misrepresentation.

By the way, bilge/engine pics #17 & 18 look like she has been under water for a good period of time. Although top side of engine looks clean.

On the flip side, the guy got positive feedback on 3 other boats he sold this spring. My guess is the guy doesn't own the Donzi and is selling for a friend. Was the title in sellers name? The seller could be ebay savy and boat stupid and not realize what the issues are with the Donzi.

[FUELPOWERED]

I saw this listing last night. People must be thirsty to throw that kind of $$$ around for something they probably have not seen in person.

[DudeHoss]

I am the Internet Sales Manager at the Cadillac store I work at. I specialize in eBay. I left a message with my personal account manager at eBay. I hadn't taken too much action towards this guy because I don't want negative feedback on our company account even though I could probably have it removed with very little trouble. I sent the high bidder an email today to let him know. When I ran a check on the hull ID # it came back clean.

** My Theory **

I think this boat was in a slip during a bad storm where it hit the dock a bunch and had the hull punctured several times. The puncture in the hull (that has be repaired) on the port side of the boat below the Donzi emblem is at or below the water line. The boat filled with water and the transom and bilge became submerged. It had to have been salt water based on the amount severe corrosion that this boat has. The boat was neglected for a long time. Water stayed in the bilge one way or another for a long time.


I will notify eBay I don't want to see anyone else get burned.

[joel3078]

Dude - create yourself another ebay account to buy things off of. Start off buying some cheap ass buy it now items to build your feedback number up. Once you are past 10, you can bid on anything and it shouldn't be a problem. Buying on your seperate account will help protect your caddy account. Just sell stuff on your caddie account to minimize any feedback hassles. What could be worse it getting your tit in a ringer and having ebay or paypal put your account on hold for a couple weeks or months while they check into complaints. This can kill your business having an account on hold. Just some food for thought. Type in paypal horror stories into google and start reading.

[DudeHoss]

Hey Joel3078... You have a good point. Thanks for your input the reason I didn't use my account is cause I do only have a few things on my personal eBay account. I'm not taking much action with eBay this round but I wanted people on this forum to be aware of this boat. I can guarantee that the next person to buy this boat will have the same story. I just hope that person doesn't miss this post if they are already on this forum.

Everybody on this forum is great... I hated forums before this one but I read every new post on this forum daily. I don't think I 've ever seen a more helpful group of people. Thanks for everything guys!

[DudeHoss]

I did and it came back clean... The Hull # on this donzi is DNAC2032K697

[joel3078]

Although it's a wonderful site, The website Poodle linked to only covers damage from Katrina, Rita, and Wilma hurricanes. Other storms are not in the database. **** happens items like the bilge pump quit working while it was tied to a dock and the ass end sank also would not be covered in the nicb database.

quote from www.nicb.org
Search the NICB database for vehicles and watercraft affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) can be found on dashboards, driver's side door jamb stickers, and title documents. The Hull Identification Number (HIN) can be found on the right rear of the watercraft hull.

[MDonziM]

I looked into this boat last summer. Boattrader listing from Evansville IN.The serial # was dnac 2032k697. Boat was a bank repo from Swanssboro N.C. Looked to be abused/swamped. Beware.

[joel3078]

This is turning into another lesson on flood boats. Swansboro, NC is on the coast about in the middle of North Carolina. After the hurricanes are done with Florida, they go up the Atlantic coast and cause tornados, hail, more flooding, etc. Lots of Donzi boats among other brands were for sale last year in Alabama, Louisinana, Georgia, Carolinas, and on up the coastline.

Look up this in google maps and it will help you visualize storms damage path.
http://maps.google.com/maps?oi=map&q=Swansboro,+NC
On the left side of screen, keep clicking on the - minus button to zoom out.

[DudeHoss]

I looked into this boat last summer. Boattrader listing from Evansville IN.The serial # was dnac 2032k697. Boat was a bank repo from Swanssboro N.C. Looked to be abused/swamped. Beware.


My dad called it! He thought it was probaly a bank repo. How did you find this out???

[joel3078]

Joel, you are correct, it is only for boats damaged in the named storms, and reported to the insurance co's. I was curious if it was a hurricane baby or not. Repo's wont show there.. :eek!:

It's still a great site and added to my favorites list. I'm sure the boat is fallout from one of the hurricanes last year. Floods, repo-man, 22 year old trustworthy seller, and no mention of a surveyor inspection. This story gets sicker by the day. Wonder when the lawyers are gonna figure out how to sue someone for ebay losses - aka restitution.

[MDonziM]

I talked with Donzi cust service. I forget now but either the boat was delivered to N.C. from Donzi or the Mercury warranty info led me there. Also when the boat was for sale last yr. the deck stripe was badly faded. Anyway, good luck finding a better boat, I did. MDM